FISHERIES COMMISSION.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 50, 27 February 1919, Page 6

FISHERIES COMMISSION.

TRAWLING DEMONSTRATION. EVIDENCE OF FISHERMEN. SMALL FISH AND NURSERIES. The Fisheries Commission was resumed at the Magistrate's Court this morning, when further evidence waa taken from fishermen who had had experience in line fishing on various parts of the coasts. COMMISSION ON A TRAWLER. Yesterday the members of the Commission and various counsel were given a practical demonstration of trawling by Messrs. Sanford's, Ltd., Baroona. Though the results of the three hauls made were far from a prolific nature, and consequently unsatisfactory as far as deriving any definite conclusions, they instanced, to a certain extent, the effect of the trawl upon the sea bed and the quantity of small fish taken. In each haul the trawl was towed for an hour and a-half. In twenty-five fathoms of water five miles north of Tiri, about 3001b of fish, filling four and a-halt baskets, was obtained. There was a V.rge percentage of fish under the minimum Jib, the largest only weighing about 31b. r'.e second result was 8J baskets in 2.'1 fathoms of water, about three miles inside the line north-east ot Thumb Point, on a course set for Cabbage Bay, part of the area covered being 1 specified by fishermen as a nursery. The number of small fish was less in this instance. About four baskets of fish, averaging about 21b, with 15 per cent, under minimum, were, obtained in the last trawl shot on the (oromandel side of the Channel approaching Dead man's Point. The last two trawls were made inside, the existing limits. POSSIBILITIES AT MANUKAU. John J. Grupon, under examination regarding his evidence of the fishing possibilities at Manukau. amended his statement in reference to the depths ot water on the coast off the Manukau, and suggested that there would probably be. IK) fathoms of water on the coast. ile maintained that the line fishermen could supply the Auckland market if there was a proper system ot distribution. To Mr. Ayson: After fishing at the Manukau for nine or ten yeans, he found the supply of flounder as plentiful as in the initial days of his experience. A very large number of flounder could be sent from Manukau to Auckland market. Further evidence of the abundance ot fish at Onehunga was given by H. J. Kelly, who 6tated that there " was a scarcity of schnapper only at Manukau. 1 Witness also detailed his ex-periences on the trawler Cowan. The usual result of a run was a full ship, i.e., 200 baskets of fish. The biggest lift witness ever saw was. 72 baskets, and he would be surprised to hear that the Baroona was taking 100 baskets to a lift last September. He agreed that it was possible that the (.'ountees got 250 baskets in the last two days and a-half. The largest catch on the Cowan was made coming from Canoe Rock towards Tin, about five miles nearer Canoe Rock than the trawl was shot in the demonstration yesterday, NL'RSERIES INSIDE THE GULF. Norman McMillan, a fisherman of 20 years' intermittent experience in different localities, including Hokianga, Wacpu, and Thames, deposed that from his observations of multitudes of small flounder near Coromandel he was convinced that there was a nursery nearby. He had fished inside the still water between the island.? off Cabbage Bay and Coromandel and caught many small fish in amout nine fathoms of water. He thought the restriction limits should therefore be on the Colville-Flat RockRodney line. His argument in favour ot extending the limits was the existence of a nursery in the Gulf and its environments. Witness testified that a good quality fish could be obtained north ot the. Hauraki Gulf, where the bottom seemed very even. He was of the opinion that there was a long, smooth, flat bottom between Little Barrier and the Hen and Chickens. There was no suggestion that all shallow waters in the Gulf were fish nurseries. His objections to the trawlers were based on the pround that they destroyed the young fish and the feeding grounds. He advocated a close season for flounder with a view to conserving them. His experience was that schnapper came into shallow water to spawn. A large proportion of the fish caught yesterday would have passed through oin and he thought that no gear should be used that would kill fish of less than lib weight. To Mr. Ayson: The effect of continual trawling through the Gulf would be to divert the fish from the Gulf altogether. In reply to Mr. Dickson, witness expressed the opinion that a trawler working at the mouth of the Gulf would be likely to divert the 6chool from going to the spawning and reeding grounds.