FISHERY RESEARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27499, 20 September 1950, Page 6

FISHERY RESEARCH

Value Of Work At Portobello

Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Sept. 19. During the last 25 years in which fishery investigation work had been undertaken, quite appropriately and indeed inevitably—though not as extensively as was desirable—by the Marine Department, the only work carried on at Portobello that had advanced the scientific knowledge of sea life had been done by members of the staff and research students of the University of Otago or by occasional visitors from other university colleges or from overseas. This was stated in the report of the Board of Management submitted by the chairman, Mr A. E. Hefford, and contained in the Marine Department’s annual report presented to Parliament today. The report added that the transference of the administration of the Portobello station to an authority that would be responsible for the furtherance of scientific research which was fundamental or general, as distinct from investigations for immediately practical purposes, was a development that would appear to be logical and appropriate at this stage. For this reason, the board was in favour of the proposal to hand over the station into the charge of the University of Otago, the members of the staff of which had borne a considerable share in the duties of management as well as carrying out noteworthy research work through many difficult years. It was understood that steps to this end were now in train.

During the past year much use had been made of the station by the botany and zoology departments of the university and in August, 1949, a short marine course was held for students. Dr Margaret Naylor, a marine algologist from England, who was temporarily a member of the botany department, had been the only overseas visitor.

Thanks to a generous grant from the University of Otago, much-needed repairs to the aquarium building and one of the dwellings had been carried out. The board was pleased to report that the station was now in a better condition than had been the case for several years. The report stated earlier that the station was established nearly 50 years ago under the Fisheries Act. 1908. which made provision for the “ establishment of fish breeding or fish-hatcheries,’’ a form of enterprise which so far as marine fish culture was concerned had originated in America and Europe. In the case of the Portobello establishment the relatively enlightened outlook of the first chairman of its Board of Management. Mr G. M. Thomson, had resulted in the recognition of the value of the station as a means of providing for the study of marine life in addition to its primary object of artificial fish hatching and the acclimatisation of exotic species in New Zealand waters.