HERRING IN HAURAKI.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 251, 22 October 1919, Page 9

HERRING IN HAURAKI.

WASTE OF " SIXVER HORDE." GULF TEEMS WITH FISH. NEGLECTED HARVESTS. BOATS FOR JELLICOE SCHEME. "The ha:r-ren is tlie fesh for mc; the fittest fe.-h that's in the sea," runs an interminably long chant loved ot" Scotch iisherfolk. interminably lon- because it goes over the component parts of the C.-h from tin to tail, telling how they bp.'timi' transmuted. "The herring's scales niuke i-.-n-ws and nails." "the herring's fills niHke needles and pins." ami so on. There i- nolhin. nicer for breakfast than a grilled fresh herring, nn! both hs a bloater an.l a " red " it has no rivals. The herriug-fidii-u; industry in the Old Country, c-| iallv in Scotland, supports thousands of people, and means hundreds ..f thousands of pounds n venr. And there arc shoals of this estimable fish gnnibnlintr nliout the Hanraki Gulf nnd ..(her water- of i he Dominion simply asking to lie tunic,l int.i e;ood wholesome food, ii ml pounds, shillings ami pcii-c. Some of tbe fishermen who have enme out from th.. I)!.', Country, where the hrrrin, is esi'imnte-l at his true value, think we colonials arc not so trememlou...!v up-to-i!:ite as we pride ourselves, when we allow such a "silver horde" to float |,y our very doors without putting out a haul to dra X it ashore. '•THICK AS A WALL." Some people -ay there is no herrins in New Zen land waters, but one would think that men like Captain Freeland, of the City Council's trawler Cowan, nnd Other- who have been in the fishing trade up in Scotland for years, should know n herring when they see it. The skipper is quite certain that the waters of the Culf and further north teem with genuine herring. " They are there, thick ns a wall, man," is the wav he puts it. For the Inst six months the water has been crowded with them, and oily reccntlv between Canoe Rock : off Kawnu) nnd Tiritiri he says he saw Hiem thicker llian he has seen them nt Home. The skipper is a PcWhcnd man. nnd anyone who has seen fi-ninsr in t''e North of fvntlnnd will understand the value of his opinion. The herring belonr*» to the same f-invlv as the sprat, nnehovv. ami tI IP s n -^ i jt p is often mistaken f ■•■ I'm but there is a mark-.l difference. The herrinc has the pelvic fins placed a little behind the dorsal fin. while in the snrnt they are slightly to the front. The berrine is a surface or migratory fish swimming in shoals, usually in mid-water or near the =urf;ico. That is wliv it needs spe.-i.-il nets for taking tbe herrinir. and it is lack of these nets that prevent* the men who say Die herrinsr swarms in our waters from provine to n scnticnl public that fresh hervinc for hrnnkfn«t is ouito possible in Auckland. Cant.iin Freeland hits endeavoured to interest somebody in getting tlie necessary gear, but so far without success, SPECIAL GEAR WANTED. As mo-t people are aware, the trawls used in the boats that work out of Auckland are dragged along the bottom of the spa and catch only what are known as '•bottom fish." as distinct from the "top fish.*' which Mielnde the herring family, but occasionally the Captain has got, a few herrings and brought them ashore to prove his statement. Home people have recognised them nt once. The herring nets are what are technically known as drift-nets with lloats on top and weights on the lower edge. They are "shot." as ihe fishermen call casting, dead before the wind, nnd are buoyed nt suitable intervals with canvas buoys like an over-grown football. The mesh is tniir'ii smaller than that of the trawl, beinir something under an inch across— thirty-eight rounds to the yard, to use the trade term. The boats used in the herring fishing nre known as •'drifters." and it was these boats that did such wonderful service in the North Sea in mine-sweepina and other work. Rut for trial work in the Gulf here, any steamer would do. All that the men want it? the nets, which "before the war were worth about £_ 10/, but now are £10. "If I had known what was here." remarked Capt. Freeland, "I would have brought some second-hand ones out, but the expense Is too much for one man to bear at the present time." About ten of Uiese nets would be wanted to give the fishing a trial in New Zealand waters, and it seems rather remarkable ihat someone has not the enterprise to get the necessary gear sent out. ONE STONE. TWO BIRDS. A most important nart of Lord Jellicoe's report deals with making the Dominion independent in the matter of mine-sweepers, whifch are an absolute necessity even in this remote corner of the Empire. When the last German raider laid a couple of score of "eggs" round our coasts the Naval authorities had to send out at much trouble a couple of sweepers to clear away thej danger. Iv any scheme of naval defence mines-weepers are essential, and Lord. Jellicoe suggests that the best way to secure them would be to encourage the! fishing industry. He c-t'.mates that the Dominion, to protect its ports, would want eigiitecn sweepers of the trawler' type, but if the herring exists in New Zealand waters in the numbers fishermen say it does, then there will be no lack of potential mine-sweepers. The industry is such a lucrative one that many more than eighteen boats would soon be engaged in the trade. The opportunity of exploiting the herring industry and providing for an important part of Lord Jellicoe's scheme at the samet'me seems sound business, but it has taken so many years to get trawling started that one cannot be too sungu'ne about the Government taking the opportunity.

That he carried some belated officers off H-.M.s. New Zealand in haste to get to the naval ball to lea.i tlie lancers wa-i the explanation given on behalf of Ernest Uloin'field, who was charged before Mr. -I. K. tt'ilirn. S.M., to-day that on September 24 ho motored too f.i*t over tlie intersection of Queen and Vic-j toria Streets. It was stated by the police that tlie |iace o f the car was very considerably above the limit of six mile* an hour, and that though the naval men might be "breaking their necks'' to £rci to the ball tliey were scarcely justified in taking a risk of po_*~~y break'ng the disinterested tie -ks of the passing public His Worship int/mntcd that though the haste was perhaps natural. the outside view of the incident was tint defendant jii*t took a chance of an accident or a line, and the le-ser evil he had incurred would be the usual penalty of a 10/ fine and 11/ cost*. The Auckland Harbour Board yesterday declined an offer from the e.xemtore of the late .1. J. Craig to give two months' option over the Stanley Ha.} property previously offered at £10,500.