The Tasmanian Trout Fishery. III. The Rivers of the North and East

Abstract

The study of the daily catch from the Korth and South Esk River systems, as derived from anglers' returns, shows a general fall which appears to be statistically significant in all rivers except the Meander. It appears to become increasingly important from west to east. It is accompanied by a fall in the annual catch per angler which is closely correlated with an increase in the number of licences issued, from which it might appear that these streams are being fished to their full capacity. A study of the mean lengths of fish at capture does not show any decrease compatible with over- fishing, and there has been no increase in growth rate, which might be expected under conditions of overfishing. The age distribution of fish caught bv anglers does not indicate any decrease in the proportions of older fish. A personal canvass of 53 anglers in one district showed a mean total catch per angler of 259 fish, whereas the figure derived from anglers' returns for the same season was 20 fish per angler. It is concluded that the apparent decline in catching rate was due to the returns from anglers being unrepresentative. So correlation was found between the catches by anglers and the fish available to them as a result of stocking these streams.