Tauranga Trawler Reaches Port Fully Laden With Fish

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14662, 4 May 1948, Page 2

Tauranga Trawler Reaches Port Fully Laden With Fish

NEARLY FIVE-HUNDRED BASKETS TAKEN IN THREE DAYS

With her hold jammed full of fish, and the remainder of the catch some 160 baskets lining the deck, the trawler Vanguard reached Tauranga early yesterday morning following what has been described as one of the most successful fishing expeditions carried out by a vessel of this size in waters in and adjacent to the Bay of Plenty. Skippered by Mr F. Mark, Vanguard left on Wednesday, her catch of approximately 500 baskets, or in actual weight nearly 25 tons, being made in three days of fishing.

Good hauls were taken on Friday, and with unusually big catches on Saturday and Sunday the hold was soon filled, and the fish spilled on to the deck. Fully laden, with about three feet of freeboard showing, a halt was called to the operations on Sunday afternoon, and the vessel was started on her voyage back to Tauranga, which was reached at 8.30 yesterday morning. The skipper said that usually March, April and a part cf May were the poorest months for fishermen, and his unusual run of good luck could not be taken as an indication of results which are normally experienced at this time of the year. On the previous fishing excursion "Vanguard had returned with only 65 baskets of fish, but on that occasion the weather had been bad. On the other hand, conditions experienced last week were entirely suited foxfishing. -

An immediate start was made! yesterday morning in unloading the' fish from Vanguard, the first five tons being despatched to the owner! of the vessel, Mr W. J. Costello, of Rotorua. Tauranga’s needs will be: met first and consignments will be sent to Palmerston North, the Wai- 1 kato and King Country.

The remainder will be frozen and shipped to Australia. In recent months, when catches have exceeded the requirements of the districts’ mentioned, shipments of frozen fish] have been made to Australia, and: these have proved so successful in the past that the proposal is being continued. " ■

Terakihi comprised the bulk ofthe most recent catch, with a small percentage of schnapper and ha-i puka. Activity at the fish wharf yesterday was brisk, it being reported that a second trawler lying had made a good catch, also.