FISH SCARCITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 186, 7 August 1936, Page 14

FISH SCARCITY.

' ' ' ■■ - •• ;• - • , •• V COMPLAINT AT KAIPARA. . BY TRAWLERS:' . -VA-K.'.,. An allegation • that as many as half a dozen trawjers had been seen.,at one time taking fish within the three miles limit was made by a speaker, at a meeting of tffe Kaipara sub-provincial branch of the' Farmers' Union this week. Several "speakers said that , the scarcity of fish near tlie coast at Kaipara was .causing ,some concern.*Mr. J. G. Wya£t saiS .that a. few.years ago nobody could trail '.a line on the bottom without "bringing..up. shellfish, but now the bottom had been torn' up by the seine boats and .the,'feed beds of fish destroyed. a ' ..v Referring to co-operative ; fishing in Scotland, Mr. J. McGill said that fishermen did not trawl within certiSih' limits of the shore and that .drastic steps would be taken against any skipper who broke the unwritten law.. Fisher-' men in Auckland, however, were so stupid that they did ,• not know the extent of the damage they were doing." It was decided to ask-.the Minister of Marine, the Hon. P. Fraser, to prohibit j seine net fishing within the three miles limit, the prohibition to apply through-1 out New Zealand. '<s £ I The discussion arose following the receipt of a letter-from the s^ '''Minister in which he mentioned the difficulty of securing consideration both for the! fishermen and the consumers. Members ' were of opinion that so long as fish were dumped and large quantities were shipped to Australia the Minister's contentions were hardly applicable. j