THE CLOSE SEASON FOR MULLET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7799, 19 November 1886, Page 6

THE CLOSE SEASON FOR MULLET.

CORRESPONDENCE WITH MINISTERS. A tew days ago, on the statement being published that the Government intended to proclaim December, January, and February as a close season for mullet, Mr. Bishop, fish salesman, wrote questioning the necessity of any such measure. On the Hon. Mr. Tola coming to Auckland, Mr. Bishop was introduced to him by Mr. Thompson, M. H. R., and after some conversation, he promised to telegraph to tho Premier asking him on what evidence the Government had proceeded in proclaiming a close season. The following correspondence was the result:— Memorandum for the Hon. Mr. Tole, Auokland.—With reference to your telegram of 12th instant, on the subject of the oloae season for Mullet, I find that the Order-in-Council prescribing a oloie seaion was not issued until after strong evidence had been furnished that the fiih do not appear on oar ooaat* in anything like their former abundance. Oom« munioations recommending a close season were reoeived from Mr. Moat, M.H.R., also from Mouri. J. M»aefield, J. Gardner, and Ewing and 00. (all fish-ourers at the Kaipara), and from Mr. J. Shepherd and Mr. J. Munro, the latter, who is Customs officer at Whangarei, being an old and experienced fisherman. Information was also obtained from Auokland to the effeot that I the fish are in the best condition during the winter month*, that they uro moit easily captured in the spawning season, Deoember and January, when they oome into shallow water to spawn, and that they do not reoover their condition until March. It ie stated that when the fish are caught immediately before the spawning season, they are in such poor condition that when the roe is taken out very little ot value is left for food. I enclose copy of a letter on the subjeot, whioh has been received to-day, from Messrs. Ewlng aad Co.—Robert Stodt. Marine Department, Wellington, 15th November, 1886. Batley. Kaipars, Auokland, sth November, 1886. The Honourable Commissioner of Trade and Customs, Wellington : Honourable Sir,— Confirming our respects of Ist instant, we have since learnt from the Auckland papers that a close season for mullet is proposed to be gazetted now for the months Deoember, January, and February, whioh we feel sure will be very satisfactory tidings to all who have any staple interest in the matter. At the same time we notice that the proposal has called forth a certain amount of opposition, as shown by letters published in above papers, and although we do not thick such opposition worth noticing, emanating as it does from fishmongers whose interest it is naturally to keep their trade going all the year round, and espeolally during the summer months, still we should be glad to hear from you should any serious opposition be made that would be likely to influence the question, as in that oase we should be prepared to enter fully into the discussion, and bring to bear on the subject some evidenoe of weight, both of our own and of all the fishermen employed in this distriot. However, as yet the arguments published in the papers against the measure are from men whose only interests in the question are on an entirely different footing to those whose business it is to can the fish up in quantities for export and home consumption, and are so ridiculous and unable to bear the light of investigation that we do not think them worthy of ditoussion. It is surely the strongest argument in favour of the measure that all the canning companies in this district have always hitherto, of their own free will, oloaed their operations during Deoember, January, and February, notwithstanding the expense it means to some to have their works lying idle.—We have, eta., Ewiso and 00. To this Mr. Bishop and the fishermen reply that the fish are as numerom now as ever they were on our coasts. And indeed it is absurd to think that the few people who now catch fish on our coasts oan make any difference in the numbers of the mullet. If so, what will be left of our fisheries when the country is thickly populated, and when ten thousand fish are caught for every one now taken. There are of course times when fish are scarce, but these have nothing to do with anything done by man. The mullet, it seems, are in the beat condition just before spawning. Sprat-fish are not often caught, because when they spawn they hurry back into deeper water to recruit. The desire of the canners for a close season is accounted for by the fact that during the height of summer they cannot carry on their operations owing to the heat, while if fresh mullet are not allowed to be caught, they will have a good ohance of selling the canned article. It will be impossible to stop the catching of mullet altogether, for in many places the month of a oreek is spanned by a net, and mullet and other kinds of fish are taken. So stands the controversy as to the mullet, and in the meantime the taking of mullet is illegal from the beginning of December to the end of February,