It appears that the trout placed in many New Zealand streams are exposed to a danger that members of Acclimatisation Societies have probably never considered. The destruction of a large number of fish in the Wainuiomata last week has illustrated this issue in a way that must have filled the hearts of anglers with regret, as a significant number were either poisoned or suffocated. Over a hundred were picked up in one day.
On Tuesday and Friday, large quantities of rata sawdust were emptied from one of Messrs Sinclair’s sawpits and thrown into a tributary of the Wainuiomata, from where it was washed into the larger stream. When the fish were found dead, it was initially supposed that someone had thrown poison into the water. However, upon discovering their gills clogged with sawdust, it was concluded that the fish had either been suffocated or poisoned by tannin, which rata is known to contain in large quantities.
The sawdust of many other New Zealand timbers would probably prove equally destructive, raising the question of whether this is an issue that should be addressed by the Legislature.
Tags: Fishing Logging Newspaper Rivers
