Cable warning to scallop boats
Staff reporter Blenheim With many scallop fishing boats working in the Marlborough Sounds at present, the Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport has drawn the attention of masters of fishing vessels to the submarine telephone cables in the area.
In 1973, a number of telephone cables in the Marlborough Sounds were cut. mainly by trawling and dredging gear, and with many boats from outside the area fishing in the Sounds, there are fears that more may ba cut during the scallop season. In a marine notice distributed to masters of small vessels, the Marine Division said that the cables were vital links with outlying areas ot the Sounds. A cnart accompanying the notice shows the positions of the cables, which are marked at the water’s edge by submarine cable beacons. There are 20 cables in the Sounds, servicing about 200 subscribers.
Special attention is drawn to the Submarine Cables and Pipelines Protection Act, which states that it is an offence to wilfully break or
damage a submarine cable. “Wilfully” includes an event caused by omission. If the charts are used properly, all masters of vessels should know the positions of the cables.
The notice asks people contemplating trawling or anchoring near submarine cables to spare a thought for people who live in remote areas. It says a damaged cable cou'd suddenly sever a link with the doctor, the police, or the search and rescue organisation. The Post Office Supervising Engineer in Nelson (Mr G. Grice) said the local Fishermens’ Association had been of great assistance in helping to fix the best possible positions for the cables, to lessen the risk of their being broken. However, with so many boats from other areas of New Zealand fishing the Marlborough Sounds scallop beds, the chance of a cable’s being cut or damaged had increased. Every fishing skipper in the area, Mr Grice said, had a duty to familiarise himself with the positions of the cables, and make sure they were not da mag ed.
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Press, 3 August 1976, Page 13
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338Cable warning to scallop boats Press, 3 August 1976, Page 13
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