Age made him bolder, more audacious, culminating in the 2005 raid on his home, which likely stopped what Smith planned to be his last, and most significant, liberation. He was prosecuted at least twice, but Smith continued his releases well into old age. The vast majority of his liberations were illegal. Over the course of four decades, Smith released many thousands of fish into rivers, lakes and ponds. Stewart Smith dedicated his life to introducing pest fish to New Zealand waterways. "Stewart Smith was pretty much that guy, but he just did it to freshwater ecosystems around the country." "Imagine if one guy was responsible for the introduction of rats, possums, rabbits, stoats and pigs to New Zealand," one former official familiar with Smith's activities says. They reveal an enigmatic figure largely forgotten in New Zealand's recent history, but one who has had an outsized, and permanent, impact on the country's environment. This account of Smith's life and legacy is based on official documents and hundreds of pages of Smith's personal notes obtained by Stuff, as well as interviews with people who knew him. several of whom requested anonymity. ![]() Stewart Smith was long, colourful, and driven by an uncommonly strong sense of purpose.īy the time he died in 2008, aged 95, Smith had left a permanent legacy in his adopted country's bloodstream – its network of ponds, rivers and lakes. Stewart Smith had even suggested a title: That Pommie Bastard. "He'd left quite a lot of money, and part of his last will and testament was he wanted a book published telling his story," Winters says. Stewar Smith's commercial garage in Massey, where he bred exotic fish to illegally release into waterways.Ībout a decade ago, a writer named Bryan Winters was told about a communist who loved to fish. Then they figure out what he's up to, and he knows the jig is up. They needed to move quickly, so the raid happens 16 days later, early on a Monday.įor most of the day, Smith watches. At first, he says nothing. They know that, based on where the marron was found, there were likely to be more.Ī biosecurity report prepared two months later said marron "have the ability to become widespread throughout New Zealand, invade many habitats, affect ecosystems and all levels of the food chain". Word gets around, and several agencies discuss next steps. The official immediately recognises what he's looking at a West Australian smooth Marron, a species not found in New Zealand. He rings the Department of Conservation, which sends someone out to investigate. ![]() When they return, dad wraps the creature in a sweatshirt, and they bring it home to their fish tank. It looks like a kōura, but larger most strikingly, it has a steely dark shell. Near the petrol station forecourt, a creature is wriggling in the gutter. A few weeks earlier, a boy was alone and wandering the streets in Massey. He came across a Caltex petrol station next to it, he saw a crumbling old garage, paint peeling from the exterior. Stewart Smith has been called an 'arch environmental criminal' in New Zealand.
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