H—ls

The annual totals landed at Auckland over the last five years are given below :

The substantial increase in the total quantity of fish landed for the last year is mainly due to the operation of the steam-trawlers after some years absence on naval service. Tauranga:—

Set-net catches amounted to 3,861 cwt. (51-76 per cent, of the total), compared with 5,987 cwt. (57-1 per cent.) for 1944, of which 1,565 cwt. was snapper and 1,155 cwt. trevally. One vessel which had previously been engaged in purse-seining changed to trawling and landed 1,783 cwt. of fish, of which 54-68 per cent, was tarakihi and 29-44 per cent, snapper. The Danish-seine catch dropped considerably from 2,907 cwt. in 1944 to 418 cwt. in 1945 —this was due to the fact that the one vessel engaged in this form of fishing was wrecked early in the year.

Napier:—

The increase in the percentage of tarakihi compared with the total quantities landed for the past two years is more apparent than real, as previously a large percentage of tarakihi caught at this port was included under the heading " Mixed Bound Fish." This is a common fault with the Napier returns. Out of the total of 19,194 cwt. landed during 1945, 15,708 cwt. was brought in by motor-trawlers, of which 57*16 per cent, was tarakihi. The one Danish-seine boat accounted for 1,325 cwt., of which 57-66 per cent, was gurnard. The one steamtrawler brought in 621 cwt., compared with 1,706 cwt. for 1944. Wellington.—The return of the two steam-trawlers accounted for a large increase in the amount of fish landed at Wellington throughout the year. The catch for these vessels was 20,241 cwt., compared with 851 cwt. for 1944, when one boat commenced fishing in December. Of this 20,241 cwt., 16,634 cwt. was tarakihi and 469 cwt. snapper. One motor-trawler fished for seven months and brought in 687 cwt. of fish, of which 212 cwt. was tarakihi. The Island Bay fishing fleet landed 9,762 cwt., in comparison

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— 1941-42. 1942-43. 1943-44. 1944. 1945. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Total quantity landed 119,583 105,106 103,882 111,078 122,789 Snapper 87,028 73,604 75,153 79,844 81,706 Tarakihi 12,882 16,470 12,128 18,289 23,965 Flounder 8,151 3,904 5,489 1,857 2,047 Gurnard 1,375 1,447 1,361 3,206 5,570

— 1941-42. 1942-43. 1943-44. 1944. 1945. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Total quantity landed 4,368 7,926 9,546 10,485 7,459 Snapper 3,400 4,154 4,032 4,152 2,513 Tarakihi 102 290 29 1,057 1,289 Trevally 110 1,113 1,826 2,509 1,219 Kahawai 1 294 649 732 1,070

— 1941-42. 1942-43. 1943-44. 1944. 1945. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Total quantity landed 21,207 21,694 16,615 17,865 19,194 Tarakihi 6,809 6,005 4,931 8,966 9,744 Sole 1,385 2,165 914 1,710 1,036 Hapuka 2,011 660 861 986 1,443 Gurnard .. .. » . . 3,437 5,825 4,263 4,621 5,362