DOMINION FISHERIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20867, 8 May 1931, Page 8

DOMINION FISHERIES.

kYEAR'S YIELD NEARLY £500,000 / —— LACK OF FULL STATISTICS. According to the annual report on the Dominion's fisheries, compiled by the chief inspector, Mjy A. E. Hefford, the total value of the produce of the Dominion's fisheries for the year amounted to just under £500,000. The total amount of wet fish la.nded in the Dominion is shown to be 367,647cwt., "valued at'£449,440. Shellfish add another £38,663 to this total, which is further augmented by £B9OI from whaling operations in New Zealand coastal waters. j "Unfortunately, we are still without the means of obtaining fishery statistics in a systematic and comprehensive manner, and it is to be observed that the returns which reach this office vary considerably in their approximation to accuracy," remarks Mr. Hefford, in his report. By issuing logbooks to individual skippers and by obtaining records /from fishing vessel owners or fish depots and markets, endeavours have been made to supplement and to check the information derived from the j annual returns y.of local inspectors. The facts provided by such data afford the only material evidence upon fishery conditions which W9 can acquire and those records have already proved to be extremely useful to urf in considering various fishery problems. "Whether one accepts the view that our fisheries are capable of considerably increased exploitation or—which, I fear, is much nearer the truth —that their potentialities are comparatively limited, and permanent damage by depletion a possibilitv against which all precautions should , be taken, the importance of a statistical ' ttudy of conditions must in either case be recognised."