OUR FISH SUPPLY

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1732, 10 May 1905, Page 14

OUR FISH SUPPLY

OPERATIONS OF THE FISHERMEN’S COMPANY.

A RECORD CATCH. It is not generally known that the bulk of the fish supplied to the people of Wellington reaches the public througn one medium —the Wellington Fishermen's Company. There are half-a-dozen boats perhaps engaged on the adjacent coasts, whose finny spoil is turned into cash in th.s city, and five-sixths of the fish is produced by the “fishermen’s league. The company is formed of 32 Italians, each of whom deposited .£25. (whicn went towards the purchase of boats, gear, nets, etc.), and these men share equally in the profits at the end of each week or fortnight. Mr Milesi, the manager, explained that the promoters did not take anyone that came along, the members must all be good workers. A “good worker” in tne Italian sense means a little more than it does with Britishers. For instance in this company there are thirty-two employees. So heavy have the catches been lately that four men are kept cleaning at the rear of the company's premises in Willis street. These men started to clean a very large catch of warehou at 9 o'clock on Tuesday night, and were still hard at it at noon”yesterday. Guv representative protested that it was pretty rough on the men.

"No,” said the manager "it must be done, or the fish would rot before we send it to* freeze, and Ave Avould have to throw it aAvay. They are all Avorking for themselves.*' Haven't they had any sleep at all? "No, just a cup of tea, bit of bread, and cigarette." This sort of thing only occurred on rare occasions, Mr Milesi explained. Of course the men at the fishing grounds Avere kept almost as busy, for while the fish Aver© about they must get as many hauls as possible, and sometimes some" of the men sit up all nignt Avatching that the areas netted olt are not encroached on by other fishermen. Tuesday Avas remarkable for the largest catch of Avarehou ever made in Ncav Zealand in one day. Fishing at the aptlynamed Warehou Bay (Makara) the company's men secured 11,000 fish, ana with the exception of a lew hundred all were Avarehou. The first dray-ioad arrived m town at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, and they Avere coming in all day Wednesday and Thursday. These warehou, fineconditioned, palatable fish, average about 9lb in — which means that over forty-four tons of fish Avere caught at Warehou Bay alone on Tuesday. Mr Milesi states that it is the finest season for Avarehou ever knoAvn in NeAV Zealand. The demand is equal to the supply. The company supplies fish to nearly cA r eiy town in the ManaAvatu and Wairarapa districts, and occasionally to Christchurch. It has agents in Sydney and Melbourne, and xvill despatch its first consignment to the latter city by the Warrimoo to-day. So far it has not done much exporting, as the local demand was very keen during Lent, but they have at present ©ome 459 cases in freezing chambers. . ~ The system of arranging these enormous catches is unique. The men Avatch for the fish to come into the shallOAV waters of the. bay, and then drop nets—four fathoms deep—right across the

mouth of the crescent-shaped inlet. Th* rest is easy, for the fish cannot escape in any great number, and are either hauled ashore or pulled up into the company’s fleet of boats, stacked on drays, and sent into Wellington. A strange thing about the warehou is the regularity of its habits. In April and May each year it frequents "Warehou Bay, in June and July the biggest catches are made at Island Bay, and in August the fish are more numerous at Porirua and Paremata. This peculiarity of movement occurs every season.

The company, in addition to selling direct from its ©hop in Willis street, ©ell to the small shops and hawkers. Some three weeks ago, .soon after the business had been launched, a large shed at Warehou Bay, containing bet ween <£2so and .£3OO worth of nets, boat-gear, clothing, etc., was destroyed by fire. Incendiarism is suspected, but s> far no solution of the outbreak has been arrived at by the police, to whom the matter was reported.