H.—lsa

10

Stormy weather prevented us leaving port on the 25th and 26th April. The " Doto " left Bluff Harbour at 7 a.m. on the 27th for the north, and arrived at Timaru on the 28th. Ninety-third Haul—We left Timaru Harbour at 6.45 a.m. on the 30th April. Steamed due east for an hour and a half, and put down the net in 18 fathoms on a soft sand bottom. Towed an hour E. J N., then altered the course to S.W. by S. for another, and hauled up in 22 fathoms off a good bottom. The fish taken in this haul were 22 lemon-soles, 26 megrims, 13 tarakihi, 8 gurnard, 4 ling, 200 red-cod, 6 skate, and a number of elephant- and dog-fish. Ninety-fourth Haul. —The net was shot again in 18 fathoms on a soft sand bottom at 11 a.m. Towed W. by S. iS. for two hours, and picked up off a good bottom in 13 fathoms. This haul was very satisfactory, giving 112 lemon-soles, 8 ling, 19 megrims, 31 tarakihi, 10 gurnard, 2 kingfish, 20 skate, 250 red-cod, and a large quantity of dog-fish and young sharks. Ninety-fifth Haul. —Shot again in 13 fathoms at 1 p.m. ; bottom soft sand. Towed S.W. by W. for two hours, and picked up in 12 fathoms. This haul yielded 8 flounders, 10 lemon-soles, 4 gurnard, 1 tarakihi, 1 barracouta, 3 king-fish, 2 ling, 6 skate, about 2 tons of red-cod, and a large number of sharks and elephant-fish. Ninety-sixth Haul. —Put down the net for the last time to-day at 3.15 p.m., in 12 fathoms, on a soft sand bottom. Towed N.W. fW. for an hour and a half, and picked up in 11 fathoms. This haul yielded 13 flounders, 2 lemon-soles, 1 gurnard, 200 red-cod, 3 skate, and a few small sharks. Ninety-seventh Haul. —Left Timaru Harbour at 7 a.m. on the Ist May. Steamed S.E. for three-quarters of an hour, when the net was put down nearly abreast of St. Andrew's, and four miles off shore, in 10£ fathoms, the lead showing a sand bottom. Towed an hour S.E. by S. \ S., and picked up in 12 fathoms. The fish taken were 9 flounders, 12 soles, 1 conger, 1 ling, and 250 red-cod. Ninety-eighth Haul. —-The net was shot again in 12 fathoms; time 10 a.m. Towed two and a half hours ; the first half of the time the course towed was S.E. by E. J E., and the second half N.E. by E. The net was taken up off a good sand bottom in 12-J fathoms, and contained 12 flounders, 6 lemon-soles, 2 king-fish, 12 skate, and quite a ton of red-cod. Ninety-ninth Haul. —The net was put down at 12.45 p.m., in fathoms, on a sand bottom. Towed an hour E. by S., then altered the course to N.E. f E. for another hour, and hauled up in 14 fathoms, the net containing 46 lemon-soles, 12 soles, 3 ling, 1 gurnard, quite 1J tons of red-cod, and a quantity of elephant- and dog-fish. One-hundredth Haul. —Put down the net on a soft sand bottom, in 13 fathoms, at 3 p.m. Towed for an hour and a half due west, and hauled up in 11 fathoms, the net containing 13 flounders, 6 lemon-soles, 13 gurnard, 4 ling, 1 ton of red-cod, and a large number of elephantfish, sharks, and dog-fish. One-hundred-and-first Haul. —-We left Timaru at 1 p.m. on the 2nd May, intending to make further tests off the Ninety-mile Beach and Banks Peninsula. A south-east storm coming on nothing could be done until we got to the north of the Peninsula on the 3rd May. The lead showing a sand bottom the net was put over in 10 fathoms at 4.30 a.m. abreast of Okain's Bay and distant 5 miles. Towed N.W. JW. for two hours and a half, and picked up in 13 fathoms off soft sand. The fish taken were 18 soles, 12 flounders, 1 gurnard, 3 conger, 1 ling, 170 red-cod, 30 elephant-fish, and a number of dog-fish. One-hundred-and-second Haul. —The net was put down again on a soft sand bottom, in 13 fathoms, at 7 a.m. Towed S.W. \S. for two hours and a half, and picked up in 11 fathoms. This haul yielded 29 flounders, 19 soles, 1 ling, 7 Macrurus australis, 130 red-cod, and about half a ton of dog-fish. One-hundred-and-third Haul. —The last haul before going into. Lyttelton to coal was made at 10 a.m., when the net was put over in 11 fathoms on a mud bottom, and towed for three hours. The first hour and a half the course towed was N.W. f N., and the last hour and a half S.W. by S. iS. When picked up in 11 fathoms the net contained 6 flounders, 5 gurnard, 13 lemon-soles, a ton of red-cod, and a number of dog- and elephant-fish. The " Doto " sailed from Lyttelton for Wellington at 7 a.m. on the 4th May, arriving there on the sth, and was put out of commission for a week. One-hundred-and-fourth Haul. —Eesuming operations on the 14th May, we left Wellington at 10 a.m. on that day for Cloudy Bay, anchoring near White Bluff at 6 p.m. Left anchorage in Cloudy Bay at 6.50 a.m. on the loth, steamed south to prospect from White Bluff to Clifford Bay, but a strong easterly getting up we were unable to make a haul of the net, and after testing the bottom with the lead off the Awatere and Blind Eivers returned to Cloudy Bay. The net was put down in 15 fathoms on a soft sand bottom at 8.50 a.m. Towed for one hour W.N.W., and picked up in 11 fathoms. The fish taken were 15 soles, 1 turbot, 50 large red-cod, 10 tarakihi, 1 Macrurus australis, 2 skate, and elephant-fish, dog-fish, and octopi. One-hundred-and-fifth Haul. —Shot in 11 fathoms at 10.40 a.m.; bottom soft sand. Towed N.W. by W. for one hour, and hauled up off a soft bottom in fathoms, the net containing 14 soles, 10 flounders, 40 red-cod, 8 tarakihi, 2 skate, and 2 Macrurus australis. One-hundred-and-sixth Haul. —Put down the net again on a soft sand bottom, in 7| fathoms, at 12.5 p.m. Towed N. JE. for an hour, and hauled up in 10£ fathoms, the net containing 10 tarakihi, 7 soles, 13 flounders, 45 red-cod, 1 Macrurus australis, and a few skate, dog-fish, and elephant-fish. One-hundred-and-seventh Haul. —After picking up at station 106 steamed into 18 fathoms abreast of Eobertson Point and distant five miles, when the net was put down on a soft-sand bottom at 1.15 p.m. Towed N.N.E. for an hour and a quarter, and picked up in 30 fathoms. The fish taken were 15 tarakihi, 6 flounders, 50 large red-cod, and 2 skate. Owing to a strong east wind with a bad sea getting up work had to be discontinued in Cloudy Bay, and we steamed out for Nelson, arriving there on the 16th.