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PHOTO: BOB MCDOWALL

HE POLITICAL SHENANIGANS been built above the new lake ìevel, and a lakes then planned for the Clutha ). surrounding the environmental debate and new, bustling tolvnship along the lake shores. This lvas to be a substantial and expensive j approvals for construction of the Cþe The new town sits in the "V" of the lake, with hatchery, rvith grandiose plans for establish- on the in Central are arms named for the former that ing a series of distinctive salmonid popula- I generally well known history. Almost as well drained through them - now the Clutha and tions in the various lakes, to be stocked with known is the vast expenditure incurred in Kawarau Arms of . ore or other of rainbow or brown trout, chi- construction works, firstly associated with When negotiations were being undertaken nook salmon, Atlantic salmon or mackinalv. building the dam, and then dealing with geo- lvith the former Electricity Corporation of Elaborate facilities were planned to provide a logical faults in the surrounding hills and sta- , to ensure that environmental visitors' centre to cater for tolrrists. The bilising the hillsides on the shores of the for- damage resulting from constructing the dam hatchery's cost was estimated at several mil- macive lake to prevent landslides that could was minimised (or compensated for), the for- lion dollars at 1980s prices, the actual cost threaten the dam itself. Now, where there was mer Wildlife Service of the Departmen[ of depending on where the hatchery was to be once a picturesque river gorge, a fast-flowing, Internal Affairs agreed to withhold objections sited. An existing Wildlife Service hatchery tumbling rive¡ and the smaÌl old goldmining to the dam and the resulting lake on condi at was deemed inadequate to meet town of Cromlvell nestled in the of tion that a large fish hatchery would be con- thc Se rvice s ambitious plans - its \valer sup- the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers, there is a large structed at ECNZ expense to provide fish for ply insufficient and the site in close proximity lake, a few remnants of the old town that had stocking the proposed new lake (and other to Wanaka torvn and likely to be encroached

68 Fish €i Gøme Neu Zealand. lf:üii rÁ *ïnk

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minimised. SpecificalÌy, the belief was that Lake Dunstan would be stocked naturally by downstream movement of salmonid species already widespread and abundant in the Clutha River above the proposed dam site. Prolific brown and rainbow trout stocks pop- i¡ ulate the Clutha and Hawea Rivers, and both these species, as well as landlocked chinook salmon, also support fisheries in Lakes Wanaka, Hawea, and Wakatipu at the toP of the Clutha. It was already well known tha¡ chinook salmon emigrating from these lakes move downstream into the Clutha and find their way into , further down the Clutha - Lake Roxburgh has long been recog- nised as supporting an intermittent but some- times productive fishery for landlocked chi- nook salmon in the summer. It was a fair assumption that the would termi- nate these downstream salmon migrations and that Lake Dunstan would be the benefi- ciary - a comparable salmon fishery in Lake Dunstan seemed a likelihood. It was thought, also, that brorvn and rainbow trouc would sim-

Eæantination of tlae V/ílàIle Serçice laatclaery p ropo¿ a.I p rornp te? ¿ erío u¿ ¿ cep tici¿ nL atru) ngd t fía laeríea b ío log í¿ t¿ tlaat tlaù eæpen¿e coul2t beiuatífic?.

upon or surrounded by domestic housing. There were problems finding an alterna- tive site, and there were plans at one stage to term, ònly one dam would be constructed, ilarly move down into the new lake and natural- derive water from the lower levels of Lake making recruitment into the single lake from ly establish a fishery there. So who needed a Dunstan itself and pipe it to the hatchery at upstream lakes fairly easy. Had there been a hatchery? an additional million dollar (or more) cost. seri.es of lakes in the upper Clutha valley, Otago Fish & Game Council, in whose dis- An alternative site was identified at the recruitment into the lower lakes (those more tricc the Clyde Dam was sited once t'he acclima- mouth of Wye Creek, along the eastern isolated from the source lakes and their tisation society movement was reconstrucled in shores of the southern limb of spawning grounds) would have been more dif- the early 1990s (and which became the manag- towatds KingstoI. Here, water could be ficult, increasing the need for a hatcher¡ per- er of any salmonid fishery chat developed in piped from a small lake that feeds Wye Creek. haps. But there was also disbelief that che pro- Lake Dunstan), followed its predecessor the Examinacion of the Wildlife Service hatch- posal to maintain differenc fish stocks in the Otago Acclimatisation Society in abandoning ery proposal prompted serious scepticì.sm various planned lakes was practicable. These hatchery production and stocking as an eco- amongst fisheries biologists that this expense concerns were conveyed to government agen- nomic and sustainable way of maintaining most could be justified. The need for a major cies and interdepartmental committees that of its fisheries - apart, that is, from stocking in hatchely was certainly dented when it became were involved in planning the dam and in some small high country and lakes that clear that, at least in the short and medium ensuring that environmental damage u'as lack spawning tributaries.

Fish {l Co me Ncu Zealand 69 N GENERAL, MOST OF THE Criticisms of the hatchery proposal and examined. Moreoveq all of this was develo¡> Acclimatisation Societiey'Fish & Game concerns being expressed about the plans ing at a time when New Zealand was being Councils throughout the country had long generated outrage among senior Wildlife "restructu¡ed" in almost every way possible by learned that stocking was unnecessary in Service administrators in Wellington, who the Labour Government ofthe late 1980s and most New Zealznd, waters and saw the accused their critics of meddling in others' earþ 1990s, and among the changes being return to a "put and take fishery" being pro business. But the government of the time proposed was a reorgarìisation of the man- posed by the Wildlife Service for the upper could see past the accusations of meddling agement of salmonid angìing and gamebird Clutha hydro lakes as a step back into "dark recognised the possible validity of the criti- hunting in New Zealand. ages" trout fishery management. cisms, and decided that they should at least be There was clearþ an aspiration within the Wildlife Service's senior management that its model of management (government-managed conservancies with government-employed HAINES HUNTER staff and governmentrontrolled funding - overseen by conservancy councils with some COUNTRY angler-hunter input) should be extended to the whole country. In that eventualit¡ Lake Dunstan would have fallen into the hands of the agency that some planned as ultimately to replace the Wildlife Service - articulated in a revealing Wildlife Service publication called "A Model of its Kind". As it transpired, this was not what happened at all-the structure eventually approved by government was quite the reverse: the now-existing Fish & Game Council structure was instituted, and is basi- cally a reformed Acclimatisation Society structure that might have been entitled "A Model of the Existing Kind"! As a result of all this, had the proposed hatchery have been conslruc(ed, al Wildlile Service instigation, it would have been sited in what eventually became part of the district of the Otago Fish & Game Council. If Otago did not want such a hatcher¡ building it made no sense at all - economically or biologically. However, included among the conditions for constructing the Cþe Dam (contained in explicit empowering legislation) was a condi- Nukuhou Street. PO Box 1O38, Toupo tion that a hatchery must be constructed. Fox & phone lOTl378 7779. Alh (O7l378 8753 Opposition to the hatchery left ECNZ in a dif- 70 Fish €l Game Neu Zealand t conttrrctíng tbe Clyàe Dam wa¿ a conàítíon tlaat a laatclaery mtt¿t be con¿tructe?

Gomfolt and Safety Above and BeloYY the Water Line Waln:sWaders are manufacturred in three styles - CHESTWAST &THIGH and NOW STOCKING arailable in boot sÈes 5- 14. ficult position as it was required by law to FOOT WADERS are from highlensÇ closed

,: F ALL THIS SEEMS COMPLEX AND tions in the Lrusc deed. The Otago Regional prised nominees of che following: Minister of ,i tortuor.s, well it was, somewhat, but in the Council agreed t'o vary the conditions associ- Conservation (1 nominee); Minister of . end with goodwill and common sense, all ated with construction of the hatchery, and a Fisheries (1); New Zealand Fish & Game ' the obstacles were overcome. The necessary Trust was established. Truslees were appoint- Council (1); Otago Fish & Game Council (2 - variation was granted, in turn subject to condi- ed, as specified in the trust deed, and com- one of which was usually the Chairman of che Fish & Game Council). In the early years of the trust, secretarial services were supplied by the Otago Fish & Game Council (Council Manageq Niall Watson). Later, the Trust WADERS appointed its own field officer (Aaron QUALITY MADE Horrell), based in Cromwell. Individuals appointed by these various nominees have been as follows (in the order listed above): . All sizes o Made to measure service Murray Neilson (DoC Conservation Office¡ o o of ), Bob McDowall (NIWA Fisheries For adults & children Mail order Scientist of Christchurch), Donald Scott Products available include waist or chest length waders. (retired University Professor and member of the Otago Fish & Game Council), have all o Neoprene a derue closed cell waterproof neoprene rubber material - been trustees throughout the existence of the with a jersey knit outer layer bonded to both sides to p¡ovide excel- trust; OFGC members have variously been lent thermal qualities. Seams are sealed and taped for Council chairmen Dan Lyders, Barlow, extra strength. Design improvement to crutch area. John Dan Rae (presently); and Dick Marquand and ¡ Waders bonded on to qualiry NZ made gumboors Dave Murphy (now Trust chairman). Optíons þrchde.: Gumboots with steel re-inforced sole It remained uncertain that the hatchery plate and toe cap for rock work and òyster farming. would not be needed (though some biologists Kneepads fitted. Cellphone pouch. were convinced that it wasn't), and the trust deed specified that this was a question which Repair serv¡ce to waders needed to be resolved. If research indicated o Damaged gumboots replaced. that, in fact, the critics of the hatchery pro- ¡ Enquiries welcome for custom-made jackets, carrybâgs, posal were wrong, and stocking of the lake on PVC processing ap¡ons, and other items. an enduring basis was necessary to maintain a fishery, then the funds in the control of the trusc could be used to build the hatchery. If Call 0800 WADERS (o8oo ez 33 zzl no stocking was necessary, the trust deed pro- vided for the funds to be used for enhance- Made Nevr in Zealand by ment of fisheries and wildlife values around PROGUARD INDUSTRIES (Formerty Tonsariro R¡ver Systems) Lake Dunstan and more rvidely in the Clutha PO Box 48 Maungaturoto River valley. Very quickl¡ the trustees decid- I

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Otago F;¿la el Gamz altøn?one? laatclaery pro?uction a.nA atocking a¿ an economíc .4 an7 ¿u¿tainablc way oÍ m^aintaining m,o¿t "t: ',iii of itd fialaerie¿...

ed that the t1'ust fund should be invested to gencrate income and that it rvould be that Têacher and Fishing W'riter be lake income which would spent on the and Vhen fishing Fo¡ trout in wild its fishery. Moreover, it was decided that the rivers, high tippet strength is an advantage. capital value of the trust fund should be pro- Before I came across Deceiver, nylon was my tected for the future agailst inflation. Thus only option. To have both high strength and oì.rtset. avail- the sum available at the rvould be lorv visibilicy seemed impossible. But nou' I use able, in current dollar values, for Lhe future a tippet material with such a low reÊractive should a hatchery really be needed - which is index that line diameter isnì a problem. Last conceivable, for instance, if another dam is rveek I caughr this nine and a half [b rainbow built at or Queensbur¡ isolating on a dry fly using 7[b breaking strain Deceiver l,ake Dunstan from downstream rnoving fish \X/hile I had to call on all my ûtness to keep up recruiting from the upper lakes of tlìe system with rhe horse-like charge downsrream, ir was (Wanaka and Harvea). As a result of inflation good to krow I could protection the trust now has around $3 mil- rely on the strength lion invested Over the years since its estab- and abrasion lishment, it has spent available additional resistance of funds on ilvestigating the fish populations of Deceiver to the lake, as these have developed and sta- bring home bilised since the lake rvas filled, and in pro- rhe bacon. rnoting Lake f)unstan as a fishing spot for local and visiting anglers. The results of this research, and the fishery that has developed there, rvill be discussed in a second article PO Box 30-355 Lorøen Hurr, NC1c)N, but, in brief, tlús work supported the views of N¡v Z¡ru-ruro the cr-itics that no stocking is needed to ìnairì- ì. TEL 04-570-1244. F¡x 04,570-1277 a fishery the lake. 4' tain in Tfu\DE ENQU]RÍES ONLY ru lAg 523 Fish U Ganc Neu Zealand 73