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Hatchery photo shoot for new freshwater fish guide



Rod Morris at work in Fish & Game's Ngongotaha hatchery. Photo: Bryce-Mc-Quillan

Media release from Eastern Fish & Game

Hatchery photo shoot for new freshwater fish guide

One of New Zealand’s most respected wildlife photographers, Rod Morris, has paid a visit to the Fish & Game hatchery at Ngongotaha – to photograph trout for a new book on the country’s freshwater fish.

Mr Morris has more than 30 years’ experience as a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, including more than 20 years with TVNZ’s Natural History Unit in Dunedin.

Rod, who’s published many books, has teamed up with author Stella Mc Queen (who wrote The New Zealand Native Freshwater Aquarium), to produce a book called A Photographic Guide to Freshwater Fish of New Zealand – to be published by New Holland around Christmas this year.


A brown trout photographed by Rod Morris.

Rod Morris is taking all the photos for the book, relying on Fish & Game officers in both islands to help him shoot certain species.

At the Eastern Region’s hatchery in Ngongotaha, in mid-April, he photographed tiger trout and brook char, as well as rainbows and browns. Rod’s visit to the hatchery was far from his first; he worked there in the 70’s as a trainee in the then Wildlife Service. “Coming back to visit, and staying in the staff quarters was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me."

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“Back then we used to worry about getting arthritis as old men, after working in the water on frosty mornings down at the Ngongotaha fish trap!”

Rod recalls the hatchery raised mainly rainbows and brown trout were culled as part of a programme to try and increase rainbow numbers. “I believe we favoured rainbows and even knocked brownies on the head in those days because it was going to be a rainbow fishery.

“But there were these beautiful brownies coming through – just stunning looking fish. More than few were let go rather than tapped on the head they were such beautiful fish. ”

After working at the hatchery, Rod joined the Natural History Unit and spent 25 years there.


Tiger trout (Rod Morris photo).

He speaks of his gratitude to Fish & Game for their help with photographing various fish species. “We would be stuffed without Fish & Game’s help, both at the hatchery and in terms of mackinaw and Atlantics down south, as again I’ll be dealing with Fish & Game, enlisting their help to photograph them.”

In the South Island Rod Morris is also targeting fish like splake found in high country lakes.

“There is only one lake in New Zealand with splake (which are a hybrid like tigers), Lake Letitia in the South Island.

“Tigers are a hybrid between a brownie and a brook char trout and splake are a cross between a brook char and Mackinaw. Mackinaw are also very rare in New Zealand, being found only in Lake Pearson.”

Rod hopes to work with Central South Island Fish & Game officer Graeme Hughes to photograph Quinnat and sockeye salmon. It won't be the first time - “I worked with him as a Wildlife trainee when I was 20 – it was a long hot summer and we’d go out and rescue trout on some of those Canterbury rivers during the drought.”

Rod Morris says that Stella’s particular interest is in native Galaxias, while his own passion, “especially in terms of photography because of the difficulty of tracking them down, is in the more obscure salmonids,” fish which all spawn in cold fresh water and include Atlantic salmon, tigers, mackinaw and brook char. “It’s fascinating to be finding out a bit more about them.”

Eastern Fish & Game Manager Rob Pitkethley says the hatchery team has been delighted to play host to Rod, especially someone with such historic connections to the facility. He says the book will provide a valuable resource for all those who have an interest in freshwater fish species whether they be sports fishermen, freshwater biologists, staff of agencies involved with water quality or the public - simply interested in what grows in their local streams.


ENDS

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