222 FISHES 



*Lake Blagdon Trout {Salmo fario, var.) 



This fish is only a brown trout, and it is questionable even if 

 it is varietally different from the common form of Salmo fario. Lake 

 Blagdon is an artificial reservoir in the heart of Somersetshire, 

 England, vs^hich supplies Bristol with water. It was stocked originally 

 with brown, Lochleven and rainbow trout, and more of the latter 

 have been taken in the lake than any of the others. The fish grew 

 at a phenomenal rate, and in 1904 the reservoir sprung into celebrity 

 among trout fishers in Britain owing to the size of the fish which were 

 taken, the average weight for that year being 5 lb. 6 ozs. each. 

 Individual fish were taken up to 8 and 9 lb. each. (Though not stated, 

 it is probable that the great average weight was raised by the rainbows, 

 which grew more rapidly than the others.) The reputation of these 

 fish drew anglers to the lake from all parts of the kingdom, so that 

 the waters were very heavily fished, and the average weight fell. 

 But the record still remains unbeaten by any other water in Britain, 



The Otago Society introduced ova of the brown trout from Lake 

 Blagdon some years ago, and began to liberate fry and yearlings in 

 1908. Since then up to 1920 they have liberated altogether some 

 950,000 fish in Otago waters. 



Alpine Char {Salmo (Salvelinus) alpinus) 



Among the many kinds of fish which Mr A. M. Johnson of Opawa 

 attempted to bring out to New Zealand in 1864, were a number of 

 char. He does not indicate the species, except that the fish were 

 European, and not the American Salmo fontinalis. They therefore 

 almost certainly were alpine char, which were obtainable at various 

 ponds in England at the time of shipment. Mr Johnson lost nearly 

 all his fish from lead-poisoning, due to the carelessness of one of the 

 sailors. 



In 1887 a shipment of 25,000 ova was brought to Wellington by 

 the 'Tongariro,' but (as is stated at p. 211) it was mixed up with two 

 other lots of ova, and none of the trays was labelled. The shipment 

 was also in very bad condition, smelling offensively, and with a 

 large number of the ova dead. All the eggs supposed to be of this 

 species were handed over to the Wellington Society. Rutherford 

 wrote on 31st May, 1887: "the small white ova, supposed to be 

 Alpine Char, were in a very bad condition, and only about twenty 

 sickly fish hatched out, three of which are still alive." Mr Ayson, 

 Inspector of Fisheries, who was then in charge of the Wellington 

 Society's ponds, says: "The few fish which were hatched at the 

 Masterton Hatchery were put into one of the deepest, coldest ponds, 

 but they did not thrive well and died off within twelve months." 



