DEEP-SEA FISHING

Southland Times, Issue 20446, 26 March 1928, Page 9

DEEP-SEA FISHING

TOO EXPENSIVE FOR THE AVERAGE MAN A Wellinton resident who has been staying for some months at Russell expressed the view to a Dominion reporter that it was rather a pity that the great and exciting sport of deep sea fishing, as practised off Cape Brett and thereabouts, was being made one exclusively for the wealthy. “What is the position to-day ?” he asked. “Here is a wonderful sport which has had a tremendous fillip from Zane Grey and other fishermen from overseas being made the subject of such conditions regarding expense

that it can only be for the few. I mean to say that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of men who would like to go after the broad-bill and mako shark—men who can afford sport in the ordinary way—but the great majority of them cannot afford to spend from £5 to £lO a day for fishing accommodation alone—that is, the hire of the launch, the petrol, the gear, tipping the launch men, etc. I have been up there for six months, and have stayed at Deep Cove, and I know that no one can go fishing in a properly equipped way under £5 a day unless he has his own launch: and if you have the better-class launch you can pay up to £lO a day. This is beyond the means of the average New Zealander who perhaps gets his fortnight or three weeks’ holiday a year; and much as he would like to take

it on, the cost of the fishing itself makes it prohibitive. I have told the launchmen that they ar? killing the game by their charges, but they only smile and carry on.” Asked if the boom in big fishing was having any reflection on Russell, our informant said that there was no indication of such an effect. Most of the people who came to fish went away immediately to Deep Cove or somewhere else to be nearer the fishing grounds than Russell, which was quite an ho’.r and a half away from Cape Brett, and three hours a day, going and coming, was too much to be wasted on the journey, whereas they were pretty well on the spot when at Deep Cove. At the same time, the ex-Wellingtonian was loud in his praise of the climate of Russell in the winter. “The people of New Zea-

land do not know what a wonderful climato they have at their front door,” said our informant. They go to Australia and the Islands in search of warmth and nailing whilst they can get all they want only a few hours from Auckland.