TELEOSTEI 239 



stations were worked, viz., Gray's Creek, on the Tekapo branch of the 

 Waitaki River, and the Twizel River, a tributary of the Ohau branch. 

 A large number of male fish were netted at Gray's Creek station, but all 

 the females were spent fish and we were not successful in getting a fair 

 quantity. Owing to the very low state of the Hakataramea River throughout 

 the spawning season comparatively few fish ran up, and the quantity of 

 «ggs collected did not come up to expectations. The rack across the river, 

 built on the American principle, was effective in stopping salmon from 

 getting past, and all which came up were caught. 



This season we decided to work the Dobson River, one of the rivers 

 which flow into the head of Lake Ohau, and the men commenced operations 

 there about the 20th April, and notwithstanding the difficulties experienced 

 in working such a heavy river they have to date been very successful in 

 getting eggs. The run of salmon on the Hakataramea is by far the heaviest 

 that has been experienced. The river this season is carrying a good body 

 of water, and as it is discharging directly into the main branch of the 

 Waitaki, all the salmon which come up from the sea have to pass its 

 mouth, and as the condition of the Hakataramea is so favourable, a good 

 many fish enter its mouth and find their way up through the nets. The 

 first run of fish this season was fully two weeks earlier than in any previous 

 season, and another unusual feature is the large number of unripe fish 

 which have been taken. If the salmon continue running for another ten 

 days at the rate they have been doing, the collection of eggs taken from 

 fish netted in the Hakataramea alone will exceed half a million. From 

 my own observations and from reports from the Tekapo and Pukaki Rivers 

 it would seem that there is an exceptionally heavy run of fish in the Waitaki 

 and all the tributaries this season. 



Salmon have been caught freely by anglers at the mouths of the Waitaki, 

 Rangitata, and Rakaia Rivers this season, and information is to hand to 

 the effect that large numbers have been caught by hook and line off the 

 Timaru Breakwater. Last spawning season a large number spawned in 

 the Rangitata River and its tributaries. All this goes to show that the 

 sahnon are fast making their way into the large snow-fed rivers north of 

 the Waitaki. One of the reasons why the Waitaki River was chosen in the 

 first instance for the salmon was because of the northerly set of the ocean 

 current along the east coast, so that by stocking the Waitaki all the rivers 

 north of that would in time be stocked by the fish being carried northward. 



The success of the efforts to establish quinnat salmon in New 

 Zealand is mainly due to the zeal and continuous energy of Mr L. F. 

 Ayson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries. 



The fish has spread south as well as north along the coasts of the 

 South Island, and in 19 17 was reported as being commonly taken by 

 line fishermen off Otago Heads, and as moving down to Foveaux Strait. 



The early attempts to introduce this fish apparently all failed, and 

 it is interesting to summarise the dates of these attempts, and the 

 rivers or districts which were stocked. They were: (1875) Thames, 

 Waikato, Wairoa district, and Tauranga district; (1876) Tuakau, 



