Fishing Production Targets Important

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32349, 15 July 1970, Page 10

Fishing Production Targets Important

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 13.

Fishing industry production must be maintained and kept abreast of National Development Conference targets, the Minister of Tourism (Mr Walker) said at the Wholesale Fish Merchants’ Association conference in Wellington.

Deputising for the Minister of Marine (Mr McCready), Mr Walker said the industry's export receipts were more than sl6m a year, nearly three times the 1966 receipts, and production was ahead of the 1974 target He said the Minister of Marine had studied the pauaexport prohibitions critically and was sure the steps taken were in the best interests of New. Zealand and of the association. Requests for paua exports were increasing. On the export of glass eel elvers, he said New Zealand should go into the possbility of farming them and exporting the larger eel. The Government realised that pelagic fishing should be developed. One difficulty had been to supply overseas markets with quantities required once the markets had been secured, he said. Other developments in train to diversify the scope of the industry and add to its earning capacity were the farming of mussels, eels, oysters, and “perhaps, even trout,” he said.

Nothing would delight him

more, as Minister of Tourism, than to have trout served in hotels. The demand for protein was growing throughout the world and fish-farming would become increasingly important in New Zealand's fishing industry, be said.