STRICKEN TOHEROAS

Northern Advocate, 6 May 1930, Page 7

STRICKEN TOHEROAS

EXPERT INVESTIGATES. CURIOUS FEATURES. EASTERLY WINDS A FACTOR. (Per Press Association.—Copyright.) KAITAIA, Month?. The to cent prolonged easterly winds on the Ninety Mile Beach were suggested by Air A. E. Hcfford, chief inspector of fisheries, as the possible cause of the serious mortality among toheroas on parts of the beds near Hukatere. Air Hefford arrived in Ivaitata on Thursday in response to a request by the Kaitaia Chamber of Commerce to the Afinister of Atarine.

On Friday Mr hlcfford visited, tin beach, accnmpaniod by the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr Allen Roll. It was found tliat tlie previous reports had not been exaggerated as far as the northern end of the beach was concerned, and although the high tide had swept a large number out to sea, there wore still hundreds of thousands of dead shellfish to be seen along the two miles between Hukatero and the Maunganui Bluff, where the- finest toheroa beds are located. Tlhe most curious feature of the occurrence which first impressed Mr Hofford and other observers was that the mortality seemed to have, chiefly among the large molluscs, and that not a single dead shellfish was found on the portion of the beach between Hnkatere and Ahipara. In the affected area a number of small, toheroas were found on the surface in a dying condition. “'My investigations so far do not enable me to make a definite pronouncement as to the cause of the matter,“ said Mr Hefford on his return from tho beach. “What we know regarding the toheroa is little compared with what we desire to know, and to accomplish that requires a close study of its history. Unfortunately official records have not been kept of tho mortality stated by reliable authorities to have occurred .10 years ago and also 10 years ago. 'A record of these decimations 'would have been of groat interest today. “My present investigations, which were necessarily of a hurried nature, lead me to believe that the most feasible explanation of the mortality is that the almost continuous easterly winds evperieneed recently have caused large quantities of dry sand to be

blown upon tlio bods north of Huka-| tore, and that the deaths wore caused by isuffoeation, Quito reliable information had .boon given of the drift of sand about the time the discovery was made. One witness said that in some places the beds or portions of the beds were covered to a depth of 2ft. A possible explanation of the absence of mortality south of Hukatere would be that the areas were sheltered from the easterly winds by the configuration of the country. When ho was back in Wellington he would make an extensive search of the meteorological records, more especially those with regard to the prevailing winds at the time the previous cases were reported to have occurred.