OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Evening Star, Issue 10392, 13 August 1897, Page 1

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

At the meeting of the Otago Institute on Tuesday night Mr G. M. Thomson read a paper on ' The Fishery Question,' and in the course of his remarks said there were directions in which a station at Purakanui might be utilised—firstly, for observation and experiment on native fishes; andsecondly, for the receiving aod hatching out of imported fish ova. MrF. J. Sullivan Baid he quite agreed with Mr Thomson that the present legislation was entirely unnecessary, and could nob possibly attain the object the framers had in view, and was most harassing to a struggling industry. The proposal to establish hatcheries at, say, Purakanui would have the sympathy and assistance of all practical, intelligent fishermen. If such a station were established the habits of our fishes could be carefully followed by scientific gentlemen, who would then be able to explain the present mysteries of the ocean life on-our coast, and as opportunities occurred various kinds could be imported from other parts to acclimatise here, and there would then be some data for our legislators to go on. He proposed to visit Great Britain shortly, and he took that opportunity to place his services at the disposal of the Institute in obtaining any information he possibly could on the subject; and as ifc was his intentien to visit a considerable number of the fishing stations at Home in order to, if possible, improve our fish supply and the conditions under which the men now worked here, he thought he would have exceptional opportunities to be of use to them. The Government could reasonably be asked to subsidise the liberal amount voted by the Institute and the Acclimatisation Society to .build these hatcheries especially as they had now no bonus to pay on cured fish exported, for want of a profitable outlet. If they would divert these funds to the Institute he was Bure the colony generally would reap a greater advantage than they did by paying export bonuses on fish. The fishermen were better paid with a small price for a large quantity of fish than with a small quantity of fish at a dear price.

Mr Thomson also made some remarks on the subject of • Anaspides, and Its Relations to Certain Paheozoic Crustacea.' This remarkable shrimp was believed to represent a survival from a very ancient group of Crustacea, presenting generalised characters, and of very wide distribution, its fossil allies having been found in the coal measures of North America and of Central Europe. On the motion of the Vice-president a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Thomson for his interesting remarks. During the evening a small crustacean, which had been forwarded to the Museum as a youug lobster, was exhibited. The specimen in question belongs to a totally different family from the lobster, and is technically known as Munida subrugosa. It is closely allied to the common red crustacean or "whale feed" {Grimolhea. gregaria), which is so abundant in the harbor in the summer months.