H.—lsa

4

Second Haul. —Weather being fine, we steamed out of Gisborne at 6.15 am. on the 11th February, intending to work off the coast southwards to Mahia Bay. After passing Young Nick's Head, the trawl-net was shot at 7.30 a.m. in 17 fathoms. Bottom, sand and mud ; the Head bearing W. by N., two miles distant. Towed on a course S.W. by S. for an hour and three-quarters, when the net was taken up off a sand bottom at a depth of 17 fathoms. Result: 3 schnapper, 15 crayfish, 1 John dory, 3 moki, 180 gurnard, 4 lemon-soles, 1 red-cod, 1 electric ray, and 2 dogfish. Third Haul. —-After picking up at station 2, steamed out S.E. for three-quarters of an hour, and shot the net at 10 o'clock in 27 fathoms, on mud. Towed for one hour and a half, and hauled up off a mud bottom in 29 fathoms. Result :44 gurnard, 9 lemon-soles, 1 sole, 2 flounders, 5 megrims, 1 John dory, 5 crayfish, 1 electric ray, and 1 elephant-fish. Fourth Haul. —Steamed S.S.E. half an hour, and shot the net at 1.40, on a mud bottom, at a depth of 25 fathoms. Towed one hour and three-quarters, and picked up in 25 fathoms. Result: 20 crayfish, 25 gurnard, 4 stingaree, and 6 lemon-soles. Fifth Haid,. — Steamed S.W. by S. an hour, and put down the net at 2.10 p.m. in 22 fathoms, on a mud bottom. Towed W. by S. -J- S. three-quarters of an hour, when the net came fast, and was hauled up off mud in 19 fathoms. Result: 4 crayfish, 20 gurnard, 6 lemon-soles, and 3 dog-fish. Sixth Haul. —After repairing the net, steamed into the west corner of Mahia Bay, when the net was put over for another haul, in 10 fathoms—bottom, soft sand—at 3.30 p.m. Towed round the bay, and hauled up in 1\ fathoms at 5.30. Result: 12 gurnard, 2 moki, and 2 stingaree. Seventh Haul. —After picking up the net at east side of Mahia Bay, steamed due north for twenty-five minutes, and put down the net at 6 o'clock in 12 fathoms, on a fine-sand bottom. Towed N. by W. for an hour and ten minutes, and hauled up in 17 fathoms off a mud bottom. Result: 120 gurnard, 6 lemon-soles, 11 crayfish, and 2 dog-fish. Eighth Haul. —Steamed three-quarters of an hour from station 7, and shot the net at 8.10 p.m. in 23 fathoms, on mud. Towed N. by W. JW. for three miles and a half, and picked up in 24 fathoms off mud. Result : 6 gurnard, 6 soles, 1 John dory, 2 tarakihi, 2 schnapper, 5 crayfish, and 2 stingaree. Ninth Haul. —Steamed again three-quarters of an hour, and shot the net at 10.45 p.m. in 17 fathoms, on a fine-sand bottom. Towed four miles and a quarter, and hauled up half an hour after midnight off fine sand, in 18 fathoms. Result :12 lemon-soles, 1 flounder, 12 tarakihi, 6 schnapper, 1 gurnard, and 5 crayfish. Tenth Haul. —Left Gisborne at 5.3 a.m. on the 12th February; steamed out past Tuahina Point, and shot the net in 16 fathoms, two miles N.E. of the point, at 6.30 a.m. Bottom, sand. Towed N.E. for two hours, and picked up off mud five miles distant. Result: 68 gurnard, 12 lemon-soles, 6 crayfish, 1 John dory, and 1 skate. Eleventh Haul. —Steamed an hour from station 10, and put down the net in 31 fathoms, on mud. Towed on the same course, N.E. J N., for an hour, and hauled up three miles away off the same bottom in 36 fathoms. Result: 12 gurnard, 12 lemon-soles, 6 crayfish, 1 John dory, and 7 skate. Twelfth Haul. —Steamed an hour and a half, and shot the net, about seven miles N.E. of Gable End Foreland, in 26 fathoms, at 12.15 p.m., on a mud bottom. Towed N. fW. for an hour and ten minutes, distance four miles, and hauled up in 27 fathoms off mud. Result : 1 crayfish, 21 gurnard, 13 lemon-soles, and 1 tarakihi. Thirteenth Haul. —Steamed into Tologa Bay, and cast the net on the north side in 7 fathoms, on a sand bottom. Towed for an hour, when the net fouled, and was taken up off a rocky bottom at 6 fathoms, with the body of the net rather badly torn. The fish taken were 45 soles, 2 lemonsoles, 28 gurnard, 1 rnoki, 31 crayfish. Anchored in ToJoga Bay for the night. Fourteenth Haul. —l4th February, left anchorage in Tologa Bay at 540 a.m.; steamed south to work inshore to Gisborne. Took soundings from Pourewa Island until about three miles south of Moutara Island and Bluff. Shot the net at 7.10 a.m., about three miles S.E. of Moutara Bluff, in 20 fathoms, on sand. Towed two hours, and picked up from the same depth and bottom. Result: 54 crayfish, 66 gurnard, 1 schnapper, and 22 lemon-soles. Fifteenth Haul.— Continued along the coast-line until past Whangaroa Island, when the net was put down at 10.15 a.m. in 21 fathoms, on a mud bottom. Towed an hour S. f W., two miles and three-quarters, and picked up in 22 fathoms. Result : 1 moki, 1 schnapper, 1 crayfish, 1 John dory, 18 gurnard, 2 lemon-soles, and 2 flounders. Sixteenth Haul. —From station 15 steamed down the coast until within about four miles of Tuahina Point, and two miles off shore. The lead showed a rocky bottom at 10 fathoms, and soundings taken seaward at short intervals into 15 fathoms ; then the depth suddenly decreased to fathoms for half a mile of rock, and as suddenly dropped down to 17 fathoms on sand. Shot the net in 18 fathoms, on sand, at 1.15 p.m., and towed S.E. f S. four miles, and hauled up in 21 fathoms off sand. Result: 54 gurnard, 12 lemon-soles, 5 crayfish, 2 moki, 1 elephant-fish, and 2 dog-fish. Seventeenth Haul. —15th February, left Gisborne at 6 a.m., and steamed round to bay immediately north of Tuahina Point. Took soundings all over this bay, but found the bottom very uncertain, the lead showing patches of sand and rocks. Twenty-five soundings were made, but, as the bottom was unsafe for trawling, the net was not put down. The net was shot in the opening of Poverty Bay in 11 fathoms, on a fine-sand bottom, at 9.35 a.m.; towed in for two hours, and hauled up two miles and a half distant in 7 fathoms. Result :37 soles, 8 flounders, 75 gurnard, 2 crayfish, 1 schnapper, 2 elephant-fish, and 1 dog-fish. Eighteenth Haul. —The net was shot again at noon in 7 fathoms, sand bottom, and towed close