H.—ls.

return. 87-2 per cent, of the total fish, landed was taken by trawling, 10 per cent, by Danish-seining, 2-3 per cent, by long lining and 0-5 per cent, by vessels fishing with lines and nets. The trawlers made 2,156 landings, averaging 176 lb. of flatfish and 464 lb. of round fish, while for 160 landings the Danishseiner's catches averaged 211 lb. of flatfish and 775 lb. of round fish per landing (or per day's fishing). Thanks to the co-operation of skippers and the assiduous attention to the collection of fishing returns paid by the local inspector of fisheries at Napier, it is now possible to obtain for this port returns that may be regarded as satisfying statistical requirements. Two steam-trawlers operated from Wellington, one making sixty-five landings and the other thirtytwo landings during the year. Their fishing-grounds extended from Hawke's Bay to Kaikoura. Tarakihi constituted more than half of the catch. A general increase in the catches is shown in comparison with the previous year, particularly in respect of hake, tarakihi, and groper, while barracouta show a marked diminution. The average landings of long-line boats in Wellington show a decrease with regard to groper and a slight increase in respect of hake and ling. Returns of landings obtained from certain of the fishing-boats operating in the French Pass area show that their combined catches consist of blue cod (52 per cent.), groper (22 per cent.), butterfish (16 per cent.), snapper (2 per cent.), with 8 per cent, designated as " mixed." No comparison can be made with previous years as earlier records are lacking. The returns obtained from fishing centres in the South Island are for the most part inadequate for enabling one to form anything more than a vague and general idea as to the fishery conditions. There is urgent need for the setting-up of an organization for making better and more frequent contacts with those engaged in the industry in order that reliable information, especially statistical information, as to operations and production may be placed on record. On the basis of conclusions formed from general impressions and the statements of fishermen and fish-merchants it may be said that the condition of the South Island fisheries in general compares unfavourably with that of former years. Broadly speaking, fish are becoming more and more difficult to catch. More powerfully engined craft using the cheaper heavy oil fuel, more efficient fishing-gear, and longer working-hours have been required to enable fishermen to maintain supplies. But some of them are not in a position to acquire the means of increasing efficiency and lowering working-costs, and these men are undoubtedly having a hard struggle to make ends meet in the face of the prevailing low prices for fish. In my last annual report reference was made to the deterioration of the stocks of flatfish in Tasman Bay which had formerly yielded a lucrative fishery to small trawlers and subsequently to Danishseiners operating from the Port of Nelson. In order to afford some respite from fishing to the Tasman Bay grounds as well as to enable the legitimate exploitation of areas which had been closed to trawling since 1922 and to Danish-seining since 1928, but which, in the absence of effective surveillance, had been subject to occasional poaching incursions, the lower half of Pelorus Sound was thrown open to Danishseining for the months of April, May, June, and July, 1934. Arrangements were made to .keep the fishing operations under official observation so far as was possible and at the same time to collect data as to the biological conditions with regard to the fish stocks. Reports on these observations have been made by the Marine Biologist, Mr. M. W. Young, of which the concluding one is printed as an Appendix to this report (Appendix IV, p. 37). With few exceptions both fishermen and fish-dealers in Otago had a difficult year. The prevalance of bad weather in winter and spring frequently kept the market short of supplies for long periods, and even when conditions for fishing were favourable the catches were generally inferior to those at corresponding seasons in previous years. The deficiency was most marked in respect of flounders ; consequently both trawlers working the outside grounds and seiners operating in Otago Harbour and other inshore waters had a decidedly unprofitable year, though when supplies were available the keen demand for these flatfish for export kept prices at a reasonable level. When weather was favourable moderate supplies of groper and ling were brought in, but the boats engaged in the long-line fishery are now compelled to go farther afield than formerly. A comparative shortage of large crayfish on the usual grounds was also reported. Reports regarding the condition of the fisheries off the coast of Canterbury were generally of the same tenor. In so far as supplies have been maintained at normal level it has been with the expenditure of a higher degree of fishing-energy. A development to be recorded as of interest to the history of New Zealand fishing-grounds, if of no further moment, is the fact that during the past year a steam-trawler from Sydney has paid several visits to our coasts and is reported to have returned to her home port in New South Wales with good catches. The first intimation that the fishing-grounds on this side of the Tasman Sea were receiving attention from Australian fishermen was when the steam-trawler " Alfie Cam " put into Manukau Harbour, to land an injured member of the crew, in January, 1933. The results of the earlier voyages would appear to have been encouraging, and it is possible that in the future the New Zealand fishinggrounds will be regularly exploited by Australian trawlers just as those of Iceland and even more remote countries in the North Atlantic region have for many years been within the normal range of operations of steam-trawlers from Britain. It is a case of history repeating itself. First comes vigorous exploitation of the fishing-grounds near at hand, followed by depletion which reduces their yield of fish to a degree that makes longer voyages a more profitable undertaking in spite of the higher expenditure incurred. There is no doubt but that the trawling grounds of New South Wales have deteriorated very considerably as the result of about fifteen years' intensive exploitation. It is probable that the grounds off the New Zealand coasts are endowed by Nature with more fish and certainly with better-quality fish than those of Australia. And so far as sea-fisheries proper (as distinct from harbour and estuary fisheries) are concerned, they have been less intensively fished than those of New South Wales. It is quite certain, however, that the fish stocks in the seas round our coasts are not so abundant as those of the historic fishing regions in the northern hemisphere, and their exploitation

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