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General Harbour Regulations The number of accidents to persons engaged in loading or unloading or repairing ships, together with the failures of gear used in loading or discharging ships, notified under Regulation 103 of the General Harbour Regulations was 270, of which 2 were fatal accidents. The following is a classification of the accidents and failures : — Handling goods .. . • • • • • • • • • 101 Persons slipping or falling .. . . .. ■ • • • .. ' 49 Persons struck by falling or swinging load .. .. .. .. 61 Persons stepping on or striking fixed objects .. .. .. .. 3 Contact with power-driven machinery .. .. .. • • ■ • 4 Failures of gear .. .. • • • • • • ■ • .. 30 Not otherwise classified .. .. .. • • • • .. 22 Total .. .. , •• ..270 Fisheries An abridged report on the working of the Fisheries Branch of the Department follows hereon. i 1 have, &c, W. C. Smith, for Secretary. REPORT ON FISHERIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1944 Fishery production for the year is summarized in the following statement giving total quantities and values of the main classes of fish, &c, marketed: — Quantity. Value. £ Wet fish .. .. .. •• •• 294,445 cwt. 489,268 Whitebait .. .. 5,002 cwt. 42,011 Oysters — Dredged .. .. •• •• 73,119 sacks 54,839 Rock- .. .. .. •• •• 5,828 sacks 8,742 Mussels .. .. .. •• •• 16,741 sacks 5,771 Crayfish 10,849 cwt. 17,344 Toheroa (canned products) .. .. .. 103,819 Ib. 4,468 Whale-oil .. .. .. •■ •• 630 tons 13,000 Quinnat salmon (taken by selling-licensees) :— By eleven rods .. .. ..... •• 1,398 lb. \ . By one net .. .. .. •• 423 lb./ Total values .. .. £635,583 The total value for all fishery products shows a substantial rise from last year's total of £580,553*. The total quantity of wet fish landed is 17,526 cwt. below last year's total. Its value, however, reaches a higher figure—£4B9,26B, compared with £442,976 for 1942-43! Of other classes, whitebait alone shows a substantial rise from the previous season's total of 1,370 cwt. (revised figure). The quantity of oysters produced was very slightly below that of last year for each class, rock oysters marketed being 22 sacks and dredge oysters 119 sacks below the 1942-43 totals. The differences shown in other classes are : mussels 2,985 sacks, crayfish 2,061 cwt., and quinnat salmon 963 lb. below the previous year's totals. Fishing Vessels and Personnel " y '.' The number of licensed fishing-vessels operating was 751, an increase on last year's figure of 725. Eight steamers and 98 motor-vessels engaged in trawling, 52 motor-vessels operated the Danish seine, while 433 motor-vessels and 71 dinghies fished with nets and lines. Six oil-engined and 3 steam-vessels engaged in oyster-dredging and 3 motor-vessels in mussel-dredging, and the total number of boats employed for crayfishing was 102. Fishermen engaged continuously in the industry number 856, with 638 part-time workers. Besides these, the industry (exclusive of retailers) gave full employment to 322 other workers and part-time employment to 116. Particulars for the several ports are given in Table I. .......... Fish Landings Total landings of the main categories are shown for the various ports in Table 11. Of the total fish marketed, snapper comes easily first, providing 100,542 cwt., or 34-15 per cent, of the whole, and 25-1 per cent, of the total value. Next come tarakihi (29,311 cwt. = 9-96 per cent.) and groper or hapuka (22,144 cwt. = 7-52 per cent.). The statistically very unsatisfactory class termed " mixed round fish " represents 7-02 per cent, of the total, and presumably contains a large proportion of tarakihi and gurnard. Flounders constitute 6-42 per cent., soles 5-09 per cent., and " mixed flats " (another unsatisfactory class made up of a mixture of different species of flounders and soles) constitute 1-63 per cent, of the total. The total quantity of snapper has increased over last year's figure of 94,300 cwt., which' represented 30-22 per cent, of the whole landings. Tarakihi landings have appreciably declined from 40,948 cwt. (13-12 per cent, of the whole) to 29,311 cwt. Groper (hapuka) shows a very slight decrease, from 22,415 cwt. to 22,144 cwt. Blue cod landings totalled 19,060 cwt. (6-47 per cent.), an increase on last year's total of 14,930 cwt.

* This is a revised figure (including an additional return (for whitebait) which was not to hand when last year's report was written) raising total from £577,653 to £680,553.

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