NEW ZEALAND FISHERIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 75, 28 March 1924, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND FISHERIES.

(To the Editor.) Kir, —Mr. A. Sanford'a reply to 3lr. J. P. Bennett's letters on this mos| important subject are not convincing. For instance Mr. Sanford writes: "Being a line fisherman in his early days, he naturally agitated for vigorous persecution of people who adopted trawling." 1 suggest that Mr. Sanford, being a trawler in his early days would naturally agitate for rigorous persecution (or prosecution) of people who fish. If up-to-date methods consist of trawlers operating much within our harbour limits, close to shore and beaches, dumping their catches if market prices do not suit them, to write nothing about the tens of thousands of undersized fish killed by both trawl and seine net, let us revert back to the good old days when fish could either be ■caught anywhere in our harbour or bought at a reasonable price. Mr. Sanford writes, "That it should be clear to all sensible people that enormous thinning out is required to prevent overpopulation in the fish world/ My reply is that all sensible people know that Nature lias been able to regulate for a few thousand years without assistance of trawlers.—l am, etc., C. H. OSMOND.