Wanted—U.K. fishing town

Press, 24 February 1977, Page 4

Wanted—U.K. fishing town

A British fishing town should virtually be transferred to New Zealand to exploit the proposed new 200-mile offshore limit, according to Mr F. Chisholm, a Waimairi County councillor.

He told a meeting of the Canterbury Progress League last night that the New Zealand fishing industry would be unable to take advantage of the new limit.

“We should get the British industry out here — boats, mother ships, processing plant, everything," he said. “New Zealand waters should be for New Zealand, not Japan, Russia, Korea, Rumania or the rest of the world."

The president of the

league (Mr D. S. McKenzie) said that this was an imaginative and challenging concept. If successful, it could lead to a major fish exporting industry because of territorial disputes involving many European countries.

The league decided to ask the Government to consider inviting the British fishing industry to establish itself in New Zealand in view of the proposed new limit.

The directors of the league (Mr A. McKenzie) said that many problems would be involved but the British industry was about the most efficient in the world not to have it in New Zealand would be a good thing.