BLACKFISH STRANDED

Chronicle (Levin), 12 November 1946, Page 2

BLACKFISH STRANDED

-Press Association

By Telbaruyti-

AUCKLAND, jn OV. II., More tlian 00 blackball, some of whicli •vvere up to 20ft in lengtli, swam on to the beacli at B,atiieid 's Bay, a miie nortli of Orewa, on Saturday afternooii and rcinained stranded during tlie weeicend. Last night they were strewn along the sand, niany a little below highwater mark, and dunng yesterday tiiey attraeted the interest of hundreds of niotorists, some observer's estimated the number at about 75. The iish wero lirst noticed at about two o 'elock on Saturday af ternoon, when they were playiug some distance from the shore., Little attention was paid to theni at that time, but about two liours later fhey swam steadily with the incoming tide and beaehed themselves on a smali sandbank. As the . af ternoon tide rbse '.the lislx piled uji on the sandbank until the area was a blaek, thrashing mess. According to observers it was obvious that they were niaking no atteinpt to swim back to sea, but seemed inteut on forging toward the land. When they were in spected soon after tlieir arrival there were no niarks to indieate that they had been attacked while in deeper water. Noises in the Night Throughout the night and yesterday niorning the fish wailed pitifully, and the sound eould be heal'd some distance froni the beaeh. Their cries were described. by residents as being similar to that of a baby. By yesterday morning the tide had seattered the unusual visitors and they were strewn from tlidir original resting I place up to the foot of the cliffs at the northern end of Hatfield 's Bay. Many had come closer to the highwater mark and, were left high and dry as the tide receded. Some were comparativeJy sinai 1, being about live feet long, but many measured more than 12ft. One or two were about 18ft or 20ft in length. Although many of tliem were com- , pletelv immersed when the tide rose in I the morning they nierely thrashed the j water, !)ut did not return to greater • ; depths. Some boys attempted to rescue ! oue of the smaJler iisli, but their eff'orts | were in vain. Thev tied a rope to it ! and towed it behind a dinghv, but when j it was released it immediately swam j back and beaehed itself. Helpless Pish Mutilated ! When the tish were examined yesteri day morning it was found that several had been sliockingly mutilated during ■ the night. The marks on them indieatj ed that they had been attacked with knives as they lay helpJess. One had j had a wide strip of fiesh liacked away .jfronj-its neck, others were gashed along i the sides, and some had initials earved in their flesh. Several of those which ' had been., badly treated were still alive yesterday afternoon. j Throughout thc day the fish lay quiet for the uiost part, and practically the ; only sign of life in several was tlie : gentle ri.se and fall of their breathing. They were visible from the road, and a ; regular procession of niotorists left their cars to inspect them. As the tidtp j rose last eveniug many of the lisli, which had appeared dead during the dav, resumed their spasmodic tlirashing i in tlie shallovv water. Follow the Leader • Tlie assistant director, at the Auckland Wai* Memoriul Museum, Mr. A. W. B. Powell, said last night that blacklish were very proue to follow the leader ' and come asliore in large schools. It ' was well known for schools of about 40 i to be waslied up on New Zealand ! beaches, but no satisfactory e.xplanation • liad been given why such comparative- j ly alert creatures should cast themaelves j to destructiou iu that wav. Mr. Powell said the blacklish were aj species of whale and ivere the largest ! oi the dolphin group. They were often i seen around the New Zealand coast and j were plentiful around the Chatham Islands. A specimen in the museum, ! which was about 19ft long, had cast itself asliore at Point Chevalier shortly | before Ihe war. The blubber on the blacklish was not I thick, but it was possible that they ' would yield plenty of oil, said Mr, i Powell. Ile did not know wliat its i vitaniin quality would bc coinpared with sliark oil.