H.—ls

REPORT ON FISHERIES. Sir, — The information contained in the annual returns from local Inspectors of Fisheries has been summarized in the customary tables (appended) and, as was done for the first time in my report for the preceding year, a more detailed analysis showing the quantities of different kinds of fish landed for certain of the ports is given in Table lla. While every attempt has been made to obtain data for these summaries as accurate and as comprehensive as is possible with the available facilities, it should be recognized that such data do not represent what fisheries statistics ought to be. Until provision is made for the recording and collation of information, not once a year but at brief intervals, as to the quantities of the more important kinds of fish landed by the principal methods of fishing, so that we have a record of the catching instrument as well as the catching-power employed in respect of the quantities landed, our fisheries statistics cannot provide a rational account of the condition of the fisheries, nor one that will afford as much assistance as is desirable and necessary for the guidance of administration or the development of the industry. From the returns received from the various ports the quantities and values of the year's production of fish, &c., have been estimated as follows :— Quantity. £ Wet fish .. .. .. .. .. 287,979 cwt. 290,016 Whitebait .. .. .. .. 4,748 cwt. 21,620 Dredge oysters .. .. .. .. .. 37,484 sacks 19,679 Rock-oysters .. .. .. .. .. 4,414 sacks 5,047 Mussels .. .. .. .. .. 3,243 sacks 1,052 Crayfish .. .. .. .. .. 4,988 cwt. 3,488 Toheroas (canned products) .. .. .. Nil Nil Whale products— Oil .. .. .. .. .. 92 tons 1,600 Fertilizer .. .. .. .. .. Nil Nil Quinnat salmon (netted fish only) .. .. .. 12,4451b. 467 Total value .. .. .. .. .. £342,969 The corresponding total value of fishery products for the preceding year was £385,868. There is, as usual, a certain quantity of fish caught in remote districts that is not accounted for in our returns. Such fish would probably not exceed 1 per cent, of the total. A year that has seen the prices of foodstuffs —and especially those which come into direct competition with fish as an article of diet —fall to desperately low levels could not be other than a time of great difficulty and little profit to those engaged in any branch of the fishing industry. Compared with the preceding year, which was also a " depression " year, there is shown a decline of about 10 per cent, in the quantity and about 7 per cent, in the value of the wet fish landed, while the estimated value of all sea-products shows a decline of about 11 per cent. If retail prices and turnover and the losses arising from unsold fish could be taken into accouut, there is no doubt but that even greater depreciation would be shown. The fish landings in the Auckland District show a further decline not for want of fish to catch, but for want of buyers. More launches and small boats took part in fishing, especially in Manukau Harbour, their crews entering the industry for want of other occupation, while the established professional fishermen were obliged to limit their operations in the face of the diminished requirements of the dealers, and the Auckland steam-trawlers were even less active than in the previous year. In April, 1932, three trawlers were engaged, but only worked for about half the month : from May to mid-August two were in operation and from September, 1932, to March, 1933, only one of these vessels was operated, as the reduction in the price of fish made it cheaper to purchase supplies from the motor-launches. For the whole of this year approximately 15J trawler-months represents the extent of trawling operations, compared with the figure of 27 trawler-months for the previous year, which was itself a year of greatly curtailed activity for these vessels. In other words, the work done by the whole fleet for the 12 months was equivalent to the work done by one trawler in 15J months and 27 months respectively. The Danish-seining fleet, favoured by unusually fine weather, had a successful year so far as fishing operations were concerned and supplied the requirements of the trade in both snapper and flounders for the most part without working with anything like maximum intensity. One of these vessels made the biggest catch of snapper yet recorded for one haul of the Danish seine—l 74 baskets, or about 13,900 lb. weight of fish. This was made in the month of June not far from the Ruakaka Bar. (The average catch of a Danish seiner during the year would probably not exceed three baskets per haul.) At the beginning of the year vigorous representations were made by yachtsmen and amateur fishermen concerning the impoverished condition of the snapper line-fishing grounds as compared with the abundance of former years. There was a good deal of truth in their contentions. It must

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