Trout fishing funds freshwater habitat

I cannot let Christine McKenzie’s recent attack on trout (October 18) go unanswered.

Fortunately, she is mistaken in her claim that trout are damaging whitebait populations. Yes, some may assume that, given my role, I would say that, so I will quote from DOC’s 2018 document on galaxiids and the whitebait fishery;

‘‘Trout are frequently implicated as having detrimental effects on migratory galaxiid populations; however there is currently a lack of published data to support this.’’

Forgive me if it appears self-congratulatory, but the reality is that people’s appreciation of trout in New Zealand, and the licence revenue that generates, funds literally millions of dollars of effort to preserve and improve freshwater habitat, which has broad benefits for our freshwater ecosystems, including our native fish.

Good local examples are the Water Conservation Orders funded and fought for by Fish & Game on the Oreti, Mataura and Nevis rivers. The Nevis example may be of particular interest to Ms McKenzie in that protection of threatened nonmigratory gollum galaxiids was recognised as one of the key benefits.

There’s no doubt trout eat native fish, as eels and kokopu have for millennia. If you doubt the predatory nature of giant kokopu, I have frequently observed them caught by anglers targeting trout in Lake Monowai, where they have co-existed for around 150 years.

However, I would question the credibility of the image used to illustrate Ms McKenzie’s letter.

I have personally caught thousands of trout in electrofishing or netting sampling over many years and I have never once witnessed a trout captured that has a large galaxiid conveniently sitting in its mouth. I have however observed numerous long and shortfin eels regurgitate previously eaten smaller eels and other indigenous fish.

Zane Moss Southland Fish & Game Manager