BERTHS FOR FISHING CRAFT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22670, 6 March 1937, Page 19

BERTHS FOR FISHING CRAFT

gi r) __The Auckland Harbour Board ' is to be congratulated on its progres--1 sivo policy in providing a magnificent harbour for the pleasure craft of Auck- • land at St. Marv's Bay at the cost of i some £20.000, but in its zeal to please } the sportsmen, it has sadly neglected its duty to the working small craft of ' our port, it may not be generally known ' that there are about 60 fishing boats working from Auckland, representing ; an invested capital of about £IOO,OOO, ■ and these fishing boats bring in an • annual revenue to the Auckland Harbour Board of somewhere about £IOOO. A visit to the Western Viaduct on a week-end will prove to interested parl ties how the board caters for this large fleet. They would there see boats tied abreast seven to ten deep and. should ' the weather be stormy, they would see also many anxious fishermen attending 1 to lines and fenders in an endeavour to prevent damage to their vessels through bumping against each other. A berthage of about 250 ft. is all the. board reserves for the use of fishing boats, and. as each boat is between 40ft. and 50ft. long, it is easily realised what the congestion must bo. To my knowledge the last storm damaged three boats to an aggregate of over £2O, this in spit© of the vigilance, and what should be unnecessary attention to their boats, by the fishermen'after perhaps a strenuous week at sea. They come home for a rest in the week-end, and instead have work and anxiety, which would be completely obviated if the board provided reasonable facilities for berthage. Then there is the danger of fire, too. With 30 or 40 wooden boats side by side, a fire could sweep through the lot in a night. The board should dredge the whole of that small inner harbour inside the viaduct, and reserve it for commercial small vessels, or at least reserve the whole of tho berthage eastward of the lifting bridge for fishing vessels. A Fisherman.