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TROUT FISHING WITH MAURICE RODWAY - Weekly Column: December 21, 2001
 Southland, New Zealand

Salmon for Christmas


The first salmon of the season came as a big surprise to an unsuspecting angler last week on the Mararoa. Fish and Game too were caught napping too. They had made a new rule to try to reduce the losses of salmon that seem to be to returning to the Waiau in larger numbers but didn't expect any until the New Year.
 

There have been salmon in the waters of the South Island for just over 100 years. The glacial rivers of the east coast, such as the Rangitata and Rakaia provide ideal spawning and rearing locations for young salmon. The salmon spawn in spring fed tributaries that do not flood and are cool but not too cold throughout the winter. Young salmon are fragile snippets of life that need special care for the first few months. When they move out into the main stem of the river they need to get to the sea without being eaten and once in the sea the water should be cool and rich in food.  The glacial waters of the mainstem hide the little fish on their way to the sea and the cool sea temperatures off the East Coast of the South Island provide ideal growing conditions for the 2-4 years they spend there.

Fisheries scientists have a lot to discover about what causes the rise and fall of salmon populations. At present the evidence they have suggests that the sea is where most natural salmon mortality occurs and that fewer than one percent of all baby salmon will return to the river of their birth as large silver fish. Fish and Game hope that the salmon that spawned in the Maraora and Waiau last year and the year before will be the beginnings of a large run of salmon that will provide fishing like there has been in the east coast rivers over the last century. Because there is such a high natural mortality it is believed that those that do finally make it back to the spawning areas should be protected.

The Waiau is really about the last hope since in the Oreti we had about 200 salmon spawning in the river three years ago but last year when there should have been at least a thousand fish there were very few.

Salmon are a wonderful sports fish but so far the waters of Southland, both in the rivers and off the coast show little evidence of providing a good home for them. However they are survivors and it is possible that they will grow in abundance. If there was a wish we could make come true this Christmas, one that resulted in abundance salmon in the Waiau would be one many anglers would wish for. We may need the Christmas fairy's help in making it come true. of our river. 

Maurice Rodway
Southland, New Zealand                           E-mail: mrodway@southlandfishga me.co.nz

Article © 2001 Maurice Rodway, All Rights Reserved.

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