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Fishing News index > April 2008
Fish and Game News April 2008
Salmon Monitoring
Staff inspected Cass Hill Stream and found it too be too overgrown with gorse to carry out the proposed residency research there. A trap has since been installed in Cora Lynn Stream by staff and volunteers to determine the salmon residency time for this important spawning stream. It will be manned until mid June by staff and volunteers, being accommodated at the University research flat at Cass.
Hurunui River Trout
Staff assisted by volunteers Aurelien Vivancos (French volunteer who has spent the last two months helping us), Norm Marsh, Trevor Keeley and Rick Van Der Zwet spent the 13th March drift diving the upper Hurunui two dive sites. Site 1 = 6.0m vis. Small = 3; Med = 61; Large = 65. This stretch is showing serious signs of not recovering from significant flood.
Site 2 = 4.5m vis. Small = 110; Med = 162; Large = 50
Separate report included in Council papers.
Coarse Fish Survey
Staff accompanied DOC in their annual survey of rudd populations around the region. The meetings revealed that healthy tench populations are present in our designated coarse fishing waters. A number of rudd were caught and destroyed.
Salmon By-catch
The monitoring season finished on 14th February with only one trip by our volunteer observer, Ron Docherty. No salmon were caught during the trip.
Fish Rescue
Around 40 tench were transferred from an illegal population at one of the Groynes Lakes to the Kaiapoi Lakes Coarse Fishing Water during the DOC eradication operation.
Salmon Release
Staff assisted ranger, councillors and volunteers to fin clip salmon at Montrose. These have since been counted with around 90,000 salmon present, the highest number to date. Staff assisted volunteers to transfer 16,000 salmon from the Rangitata Hatchery back to Montrose to help compensate for the accidental loss of around 30,000 salmon at Montrose late last year. These salmon were originally given to the Rangitata Hatchery from Montrose in September last year.
Trout Releases
Around 30-40,000 rainbow trout fry are growing well at Montrose.
Gamebirds
A scaregun for Paradise ducks on lettuce was issued, and two permits to disturb/kill were issued.
Canada Goose Management
Five teams of hunters lead by team leaders harvested a total of 303 birds at the Bromley Farm during recent shoots.
Three complaints of goose predation have been dealt with by deploying hunters.
Resource Consents
Central Plains Water/Ashburton Community Water Trust
The hearing finally commenced in late February. Since commencement a considerable proportion of Jason, Steve and Davor’s time has been spent either attending the hearing, or reviewing/preparing Fish & Game’s case. It is likely that Fish & Game will present their case to the hearing sometime in late April, possibly extending into May.
Malvern Stockwater Scheme
In January we received the decision on these consents. Conditions have been imposed requiring (among other things) fish screening of the Waimakariri, Kowai and Selwyn intakes. SDC have appealed a condition which would set stricter controls on the Kowai take. Jason has lodged notice that Fish & Game oppose that appeal. Mediation is expected to begin in June.
Electricity Ashburton
This hearing was completed in late January. The hearing related to an off-river hydro scheme that would generate power using Barrhill Chertsey’s existing (but yet to be utilised) 17 cumec allocation of Rakaia water. The main issue of concern to Fish & Game related to the proposed additional discharge of water to the Rakaia through the Highbank tailrace. While Trustpower has recently installed a fish barrier across the tailrace as required by their consent, questions remain as to its effectiveness at preventing significant delays to upriver salmon migration, particularly given the screen was not designed with that additional load in mind. Trustpower raised similar concerns. A decision on these applications is expected shortly.
Rakaia-Selwyn groundwater
A final decision to grant approximately 69 further applications to take groundwater from this “red zone” was received in February. This decision was appealed by the Water Rights Trust in relation to those applications they had submitted on (believed to be about 43 of the 69). Jason is considering our position in relation to this appeal.
Lowland Stream Advocacy
Brett Painter, Lincoln Ventures finalised his review of Fish & Game historical Annual Reports looking for the data on the Selwyn River and the Lake Ellesmere catchment. He met with Davor and Jason to present data gathered. Staff will review data and pass comments to Brett before hi findings are made public.
Hurunui Water Conservation Order
In March Jason received and (in consultation with legal advisors) responded to a request from the Ministry for the Environment for further information about the application. The Ministry sought clarification about what was intended regarding management of hydraulically connected groundwater (believed to be a similar request to that made following lodgement of an Order application for the Oreti River). Our response was that the implications of the Order for management of hydraulically connected groundwater was location specific. If a proposed take had a hydraulic connection to any waters above the confluence with the Mandamus it would be prohibited as the objective was to achieve preservation of natural state flows (exceptions were envisaged for reasonable takes for domestic, stockwater and firefighting purposes). In relation to waters below the Mandamus confluence, we do not seek any restrictions at all.
In April Jason attended a seminar with ECan and Hurunui District Councillors about future management options for the Hurunui and Waiau Rivers. This was a useful opportunity to brief councillors about the Order application. For many, this was their first introduction to the application.
Junior Fisheries
Staff transferred around 750 adult salmon to the Groynes and 250 to Courtenay Pond in Kaiapoi. These fish were generously supplied by the NIWA Silverstream Hatchery. There have been good reports of these caught by children since. Staff assisted rangers and volunteers to help 10 children from the special needs Alandale School fish at the Groynes.
Tenure Review
Wayne McCallum completed the write-up of The Poplars Station tenure review, with assistance from staff who had previously completed the field assessment.
Balloting Hunting Stands
Hunting stands at Boggy Creek have been allocated to 11 fortunate hunters. Unfortunately five hunters were unsuccessful in securing a stand.
Angler & Hunter Competitions
The Rangers Trophy fishing competition was held at the Waimak mouth on March 20th. 108 anglers landed 19 salmon, with Burt van Linburg’s 25.5lb fish (one of two he caught) taking the trophy. Many thanks are extended to Laurie and Alison Adams, for organising this year’s event.
Angler & Hunter Relations
Staff have continued to record river conditions each week day, weekly radio reports for Newstalk ZB and emailed to 6,500 people on the database. Staff attended a field exercise presented by children the TV program “What Now” at the Mt. White Bridge in the upper Waimakariri River where the children handled and released rainbow trout into the river.
Statutory Liaison
Staff and Environment Canterbury Enforcement Officer Marsh investigated a report of fish passage issues at Waiau, however while the river was low, no fish issues were observed or thought a serious problem.
Staff gave a witness statement to ECan enforcement section, of illegal works observed in the Mouse Point area of the Waiau River.
Ranging
Fish & Game Rangers have been active throughout the salmon fishing season, as well as organised backcountry trips with the volunteer vehicle.
Acting on information received, an offender was apprehended in the act of setting a long fine mesh net in the lower Selwyn River. No sports fish were involved, however the offenders details and confiscated net were handed over to MOF, and subsequently he was issued with an instant $250 fine.
Ranger Training
Plans are underway with input from the ranger representatives, for the annual training day, set down for Saturday 26th April.
Enforcement
Six offence reports are with Raymond Donnelly for prosecution of alleged offenders. Four minor offences have been dealt with by way of warnings.
Regional Liaison
Staff took Eastern F&G environment officer Mark Meikle out to the swan nesting area at Lake Ellesmere, to view first hand, lake shore erosion and cattle damage there.
Jet Boat Replacement
Staff have had input into the jet boat design, it has passed the Maritime Safety inspections and it is nearing completion, being fitted out at Arco Marine following painting of the top deck. Arco Marine have been given the task, for the sake of transparency, of tendering for sale, the old 141 jet boat. Licence holders on our email news list will be sent details.
Research Committee – Trout Health Study, Research Projects
Ron Docherty collected a significant number of trout heads during the Rakaia River Fishing Competition. We use this opportunity to thank him and anglers for their support for the Trout Health Study
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