TRAWLING IN THE 'HAURAKI GULF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 3

TRAWLING IN THE 'HAURAKI GULF.

j Within the last few days Mr. A. Alison and a few other gentlemen interested in devi loping the fishing industry in Auckland waters, went out on the Hauraki Gulf in the s.s. Admiral for the purpose of trying ! experiments in teawling. The result of these experiments has been exceedingly satisfactory. Out of three casts made with the draw net, two brought up good loads of fish, whilst the third cast literally filled the net to bursting point, and, in spite of the net bursting, fully half a ton of fish were secured in this one haul. The varie- | ties obtained consisted principally of schuapper, flounders, gurnet, and dabs. The casts were made away from the ordinary fishing grounds, and in 20 fathoms of water, and go to show that there are immense supplies of fish to be had in parte of the gulf not yet touched by the ordinary fisherman. These trawling experiments are being conducted with a view to showing what can be done in the way of giving Auckland a larger and more regular supply of fish, and of opening up an export trade in this most valuable article of food. The possibilities of the fishing industry in Auckland waters are without exaggeration immense, and there is little doubt that in the future the Hauraki Gulf, and the banks off the coast will yield larger revenues than are at present being drawn from the whole Hauraki and Northern Peninsula. In fact, as long ago as 1871, Mr. John Munro, M.H.R., writing to the Joint Committee on colonial industries, said : " I don't know a better project in New Zealand than a fishing station properly managed. There is an inexhaustible source of national wealth swarming unmolested round these islands. In my own humble view, our present mineral wealth is nothing, now to what it will bo in the time to come yet, I believe that the fisheries of this country will surpass it in wealth, permanency, anil stability." A Mr. McLcod, also in giving evidence before the Provincial Council of Auckland, said : " I was engaged for 17 years in the North American fisheries, but I find that New Zealand possesses better fishing grounds than either America or Newfoundland." And of all New Zealand fisliing grounds, there is none to surpass Auckland, either in extent or variety and quality of fish. Foveaux Straits and the banks off Stewart Island, the Otago Heads, the Kaikoura Peninsula, the Northern Sounds and Cook Straits, arc all good fisliing grounds, but about Auckland, there is already known an area of water larger than several of these places put together, and there are off the coasts of the Hauraki Peninsula, and off the coastline stretching up to the North Cape, vast fishing grounds, not to be beaten in any part of the world. British fishermen take from British waters annually £10,000,000 worth of fish, and from the Dogger Bank alone £5,000,000 per year is taken from an area of not more than 4,000,000 acres, so, when we consider these figures, we can see what a future there is for these sea harvests in this part of the world. Auckland, with its fine climate, its innumerable harbours, and its vast extent of sheltered coastal waters, is the very paradise for fishermen, and it is largely on account of these favourable conditions that up to the present no combined effort has been made to place the fishing industry on anything like a commercial basis. Auckland is the home of the individual fisherman, and almost anybody with a boat and a few lines can succeed in catching plenty of fish. But there is no organisation. In fine weather there is a wasteful abundance of fish, and in bad weather there is none. Nothing is done to utilise the by-products, little is done to utilise the surplus of catches, and little Is done to push an export trade. There is, however, now a promise that this state of things will soon be altered, for there is a project on foot to establish a powerful company, whose object will be, first of all, to maintain a regular supply of fish for the local markets, and secondly to build up an export trade with Australia. To accomplish these things a powerful steamer will be required, which will carry on trawling iu the more distant waters, ami convey the fish obtained by the ordinary fishing boats regularly to Auckland. That trawling will be successful if properly carried out, no one can doubt. This method of fishing, roughly speaking, consists of dragging a large net (kept open by means of spreaders) over the bottom of the sea. In other parts of the world this method has long been in vogue, but it has only recently been introduced into New Zealand waters, and is at present not practised in Auckland at all. With a steam trawler and steam communication with the fleets of sailing boats, a Very large supply of fish can be obtained, and now, with refrigeration brought to such a high pitch of perfection, surplus fish in its fresh state can be sent to any part of the world, whilst in the hands of a powerful company, canning and drying can be carried on in a most economical manner.

It is commonly believed that the fish of English waters arc infinitely superior to those we have in New Zealand, but experts, who have gone carefully into this question, say that this is far from being the case, and that we have New Zealand fish of a quality not to be beaten anywhere. It lias been proved that whereas English waters with their 208 varieties of fish, only count 40 as of marketable value, New Zealand,with its 130 varieties, has just the same number of marketable varieties as England. But as yet we have scarcely touched our real fishing grounds, for our supplies are at present drawn from harbours and from close in shore, and we do not draw in anything like a systematicwayfrom the shoals of pelagic fish which regularly visit these coasts. When the banks off the coast and the deeper waters in the gulf are trawled, it is quite certain that new and valuable additions will be made to our list. Still, if no other varieties were added, the Auckland list is an extensive one, and a good one. Schnapp"er and mullet, equally useful in their fresh, smoked, or canned state, are to be had in illimitable quantities. Flounders, unexcelled for size and flavour, swarm in our estuaries and shallow bays. Hapuka, king fish, yellow-tail, John Dories, are plentiful in the deeper waters. Barracouta visit the coasts every year in vast shoals boar fish, butter fish, mackerel, kahawai, gurnet, cod, abound nearly everywhere; while in the Frith of Thames anchovies, sardines, and herrings are almost as plentiful as in British waters. With all these valuable varieties of fish to be had for the catching, it seems strange that our local supply is so uncertain, or our. export trade so small and insignificant. The fishing industry might easily be worked up to yield tens of thousands of pounds per year, and to give employment for hundreds of men. It is an industry for which Auckland possesses unrivalled facilities, and the sooner it is developed to its proper proportions the better for the community.