North Auckland Age. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED “The Mangonui County Times” and “The Bay of Islands Times ” THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1917 A LATENT NORTHERN INDUSTRY

Northland Age, Volume 14, Issue 31, 12 April 1917, Page 4

North Auckland Age. WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED “The Mangonui County Times” and “The Bay of Islands Times ”

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1917 A LATENT NORTHERN INDUSTRY

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SOME day when we wake up to the necessity of developing the great latent industries of the Far North, we will start to harvest the sea, and provide cheap and wholesome footl for ourselves and the huge populations of the Australian cities, in the shape of excellent fish.

We are probably correct in stating that in no other part of this Dominion arc there such magnificent fishing grounds as those which abound along our Northern coasts, and in no other locality where such excellent sport in the shape of King fishing can be obtained as at the Awanui and Hohoura Heads. This practically unknown locality is a veritable Sportsman’s Paradise, the possibilities of which only require to be known to attract anglers from all parts of the world, whilst right up the eastern coast to the North Cape lie a succession of splendid grounds where the choicest of our New Zealand fish may be obtained.

But whilst wc have here a fishing ground probably second to none in the Southern portion of this Dominion, it is to the north west coast that we wish to draw particular attention. On the famous Pandora Banks, which stretch from the North Cape to south of Ahipara, we have probably one of the finest fishing grounds in Australasia, teeming with King Fish, Schnappcr, John Dory, Flounder, Kawhai, Brill, Butter Fish, Trevalli, Gurnet, Maki and Crayfish. In this favoured locality there .is unlimited fish food, large areas of Mussel beds on the outside, whilst in the inside waters there is an unlimited supply of Tuatua, Toheroa and Pipi. These latter grow to full size each year making a practically unlimited supply of fish food. Also on the west coast there are enormous shoals of Mullet of a quality infinitely superior to those on the eastern coast-

The necessity for developing this great industry is at once apparent when we realise the meat shortage throughout the world, the high prices which must obtain even after the war is ended and that here in New Zealand with its practically unlimited supply of fish this article should be so cheap as to be the staple food of the poor.

The advent of the trawler with cool storage has made it possible to supply fish at a cheap rate. Small trawlers outside the Auckland harbour limits are catching

on an average over 200 tons per month each, at a cost of less than £2 per ton, whilst the wholesale .value of this fish is in the neighbourhood of £l2 per ton. These results are obtained in waters where the fish are small and comparatively scarce, compared with the teeming waters of tlie Far North.

Some day we shall have a fleet of Trawlers and a Central Freezer and Smoking and Fish Manure Works at Mangonui,working both the east and west coasts as the weather proves suitable, catering not only for the markets of our own Dominion but for the tremendous demand that already

exists in Australasia, where 6 ( per pound wholesale is at the present time very freely offered From the figures above quoteo the great difference in cost of production of fish and beef ormuttor. must be apparent to all and further demonstrates the potential value of the great latent industr; with which we have only shortly dealt.