CRIPPLING RESTRICTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 23350, 21 August 1939, Page 10

CRIPPLING RESTRICTIONS

THE CRAYFISHING INDUSTRY PROTEST AT KARITANE On Saturday evening at Karitane, where a fleet of nine launches is engaged in the fishing industry, a representative meeting of fishermen discussed the present uneconomic situation, which by common consent makes it impossible to carry on. At the conclusion of the meeting two delegates—Messrs L. Keillor and W. Johnstone—were appointed to meet Mr Nordmcycr, M.P. for the district, with the object of having the position placed before the Government. Mr Keiller, who presided, said the fishermen had nothing to hide from the public or from the business people with whom they dealt. All they wanted to do was to get an honest living by fishing. In past years they had had a pretty hard row to hoe, hut had always looked forward to the crayfishing season to carry them on after the unequal struggle with line fishing. From the beginning of Juno to the end of November they had usually looked to the returns from crayfishing to reimburse them the expenses and the indebtedness incurred during the rest of the year. Prices for crayfish in past years had been fairly good, and the quantity taken had been fairly good also, permitting a fair margin of profit. But this year the Government, oontined Mr Keiller, had placed restrictions on the size of crayfish that might bo taken, and the result was that the fishermen had to throw about one-third of their catch overboard. Doubtless the Government was looking ahead to the future in the matter of sources of supply, and the fishermen were in sympathy with that attitude. But they thought the Government was making it just a little bit too drastic. Instead of a minimum size of 9in the Government might have begun with a limit of 6in while the fishermen sought for new fishing grounds and evolved improved methods of culling out undersized crayfish ; this would give them some chance of financial recovery after the line fishing season. Moreover, the crayfish on these coasts were a different species from the North Island crayfish, and the experts advising the Government had l based their recommendations on knowledge’ of the North Island species and conditions. A stock expert, for example, would differentiate between Herefords and Ayrshires. Mr C. Johnson: And between horses and Shetland ponies! This is the only place in the South Island that - has the small crayfish. At the Bluff and Kaikoura they are large, the same as those in the North Island. _____ NOT SEEKING PARENT FISH. Mr Keiller said their grounds had been fished for about 60 years, and the crayfish had not deteriorated in size or numbers during that period. This indicated that fishing had not interfered with the parent crayfish—the fish that were doing the spawning. Their offspring frequenting this coast were of small size. By putting on tho present size restriction the Government might force tho fishermen to leave their present grounds to seek the parent fish, and he submitted that only one boat thus engaged would do more harm to future supplies in a week than tho existing fleet did now in a season. He thought the Government experts should spend a week or two here to get an inside knowledge of local conditions. Mr M. Kirkwood mentioned that because of the restrictions he had had to throw back large quantities of small crayfish, and the grounds he fished were exceptionally good in respect of the size of the crayfish caught, nor had they deteriorated since 1916, when he came to Karitane. PRICE ON BEACH SOUGHT. Mr Keillor continued that under the above conditions they had been fighting on for two and a-half months, with the weather against them, causing heavy losses of gear, averaging between £3O and £4O per boat so far, due to high prices for its replacement—cork, for example having doubled in price. Furthermore, they were getting lower prices than formerly for their catch. Therefore they had decided that it was impossible to carry on unless tho Go-.* verument came to their assistance and fixed a minimum price, based on weight, “on the beach.” The Government could also assist by removing the restrictions on size. Farmers received a guaranteed price for many of their products so that production should increase. The dairy farmer, for example, got a guaranteed price, and had not to pour one-third of his milk down the drain, which would be equivalent to _ what the fishermen had to do with their output under the present restrictions. He fthe speaker) took it that it was the Government’s policy to encourage increased production in the fishing industry as well, as in other primary production. There was a large local market for crayfish, which the industry

could supply with a surplus for export. and he understood export trad© was desired by the Government. But. as things were, he could see nothing else for it but the boats having to tie up and the men seek other employment. It was hard to estimate the damage that would thus be done to the fishing industry as a whole. The speaker mentioned that this week there had been trouble at the marketing end; the catch had been sent to Dunedin and there Had been no one to take delivery of it, consequently the Railway Department sold it. The cause of this hitch had not yet been ascertained. He had got into touch with Mr Nordmeyer on the chaotic conditions ruling, and arranged for a delegation to put conditions, returns, costs, etc., fully before him. Mr C. Johnson: The merchants have not paid out the price which they agreed on and which they paid in previous year. They have lowered the price—from l.gd per lb as promised to 1 l-sd. ■ Voices: Only one merchant. Mr Kirkwood; We have had no word yet as to prices from our representatives.

After appointing two delegates to go to Oamaru to interview Mr Nordmeyer the meeting adjourned. Mr Nordmeyer, M.P., on being approached by the delegation, expressed himself as in sympathy with_ the case presented, which ho considered ' a strong one. He saw no reason why there should not be a guaranteed price, and he undertook to make representations to the Government on his return to Wellington.