Abstract
AN interesting communication on the effects of intensive angling on the depreciation of trout-fishing in the Oreti (or New River) in New Zealand is given by Prof. E. Percival in Fisheries Bulletin No. 5 of the New Zealand Marine Department. The European trout when introduced into New Zealand showed remarkable fitness to their new environment by their great growth and in the early years afforded excellent opportunities for anglers. In recent years, however, there have been signs that the fishing is falling off to a considerable extent. This had been popularly attributed to a number of causes, such as the removal of the bush, leading to a decline in the food supply, the destruction of grasshoppers and cicadas by imported birds, or a change in the growth rate of the fish themselves. By examining old anglers' diaries, studying the food supply and growth of the trout, and using the statistics of angling societies, the author has shown that in all probability the decline in the fisheries is due to the great increase in the number of anglers themselves in recent years and to the opening up of fresh regions made accessible by modern rapid means of transport. The apparent decrease in size attained by the fish is due to the killing off of the older fish and the rapid removal of the smaller fish before they have time to reach a large size. In this publication Prof. Percival gives some valuable information on the food relations in inland waters of New Zealand, following up the work he has already done on the fauna of the streams of Great Britain.
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Trout Fishing in New Zealand. Nature 131, 163 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/131163c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/131163c0