MEASURE TO RAISE FINES FOR FISH POACHING

Chronicle (Levin), 11 August 1948, Page 6

MEASURE TO RAISE FINES FOR FISH POACHING

Press Associationj

New Efforts To Save N.Z.'s Fish Supplies

(Per

WELLINGTON, August 10. Members who spoke to tho seeond reading of • the Fisheries Amendmont Bill in the House of Representatives today, gave it warm'approval. Mr. Hackett said the measure contained many provisions which the Mariiie and Interual Affairs Departmeuts.had desired for a number of years and corrected a number of anomalios. A serious vievv was taken of the activities of poachers and the penalty for breaches had been increased from £100 to £500. Whales were excepted from the partieular elause in the Bill prohibiting the killing of lisli by the use of explosives. Another elause widened the definition of persons who could be proseeuted foi destroying edible fish. There had been many casos in the past, said the Alinister, whcre edibJe fish had been destroyed in order to keep up the priee. Air. Hackett said a great deal of help had been received from acelimatisation societies in preparation of part tvvo of the Biil which eoneerned fresh wnter lislieries and he liad received a' number of letters from various organisations, " blessing the Bill and thanking the Government for bringing it down. " .Mr. Hackett said that for many years it had been the objective of acclimatisation societies and the departinents eoneerned, to get a sinai 1 and compact set of regulations to assist lishermen. That was now accomplished. The Bill regulated the use of liigh pressure cookers in the canning' of troui with the view of preventing exorbitant catclies. The Ahu'ine Department had knowledge of certain hotels whrj sent inen to the fishing gronnds for the purpose of catching fish for their tables and the result had been that iimit catches liad been exceeded. it was a diilieult oll'enc'e to detect. It was hani "to see that anylhing controversia! would arise from the Bill which had been given a blessing by thousands of iishenuou throughout the country. Opposition Approval. Air. T. J.. Alacdonald (Wuliace, Opposition) said that anything reJating to t'lie regulation of ihe fishing industry would be regarded with widespread in terest and the points wliicli the Aliihs

' ^ ter liafl mentioned would. not arouse any degree of argument from the Opposition. The main purpose of the Bill was to tighten up. the' regulations so that they could be enforced.' Oqe thing the Bill did not do was' to regulate the size of "the one that got away." Bteps taken to preserve tronl and salmon fishing" would be weleomed and he regretted the fae.t that poisons had been used in the far soutli for the purpose of catching lish. He hoped the oll'enders, if detec'ted, would be doalt With very firmly ihdeed. "One thing the "Bill does not do in regard to sea fisheries, is to make a greater supply of fish available to the public, ' ' said Mr. Macdonald. He urged the department to eurvey the present fishing grounds and develo]> new grounds. He considered that- the expansion of tlie fishing industry rnto southern areas would result in more fish for local consumption as well as for export. Preserve the Oyster. Everything possible shouid be done to see that the oyster beds in Foveaux Btrait shouid not be depleted. T.ht annual take of oysters had shown 9 steep increase and in 1046 04,000 saeks were produced, each sack containing Oetween 60 and 80 dozen oysters. Though our rivers held an attraction for fishermen from all over tlie world, there was a big'drain on thern mainly because the development of transport enabled fishermeu to get . to more remote stretches. The tiglitening up of -tlie regulations would make people reab.se there was a threat to our rivers some of which had been "fiogged to death." The 0])position sympathised with the Bill. ■ Punish the Poacher. Mr. D. Al. Rae (Parnell, Opposition) said he hoped the Bill would make it possible to seek out and punish the real offenders who poached on spawning grounds. Trawlers were frequently owned by companies but manned by tho skipper and crew whose income depended to some e.xtent' on the size of their catch. It was possible for unscrupulous crews to defy strict orders of employiug companies and especiallv if fishing conditions wero not' good, to douse their lights and trespass 011 prohibited atea* to increase their catch. Five on a Line. Mr. T. P. Bliand (Marlborough, Opposition) caused derisive laughter when he referred to the days when, in tho Marlborough Bounds, holidayiuakersr could catch fish "five 011 a line." Now they were lucky to catch two at once.

Blue cod were being taken' within the Bounds for use as bait to catch groper out at the heads," while seine netting in the Bounds was also taking a severe toll of small lish. . , Mr. It. M. Algie (Remuera, Opposition) asked if anything in the Bill gave ell'ect to representations which fro quently had been made to the Government by Mr, Ensor, Mayor of Thames, who had urged strict protection of tho breeding grounds in the Hauraki Gulf area. .Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Waitomo, Opposition) said fishing grounds around the New Zealand eoast were limited by the fact that in most parts deep water was encountered not far from the coast. British fisliermen were now operating as far away from their home ports as lceland and New Zealand could probably obtaiu greater supplies by fishing in southern wateTS. Mr. Broadfoot t urged greater use of the quickfreezing process which, he said, preserved the , flavour of fish better than older methods of freezing. . '• • Mr. O. A. Murdoch (Otahuhu, Oppositiou) adyocated the cultivatiou of . oysters on sticks in suitablo harbour waters, especially in North Auckland. He said this would provide a valuable industry and would olfset the decline in supplies of rock oysters. Mr.. W. E. Parrv said fish did not remain on the spawning grounds all the year round and if it was decided to proteet the breeding grounds, there would also have to be tound some way of protecting the fish 011 their return to the spawning grounds. The only way that could be done would be to give fish a elosed season. He predicted that uniess seiinapper and cod received some protection they would disappear as other varieties of New Zealand lish liad. The recent catch of two tons of

crayfish at Jackson 's Bay had destroyed' millions of potential fish, continued. the Minister, and yet that was permitted and still we growled at the sliortage of fish. Mr. Parry said it was the bad sportsmau who marred conditions for , the good sportsmau. The Department • would have to have wide powers to prevent ofl'enders against the regulations f ' sfixfpiug thrbugh its fingers. ' ' Rangprs j had a most -difficult job. "It is all to : the good .that the, Bill contains 'in- ! creased : penalties," Mr. Parry said." ' ' It will make people tkink twice -before they commit a breac'h. Mr. Hackett, in reply, said it was obyious that there^was^ a grea^ deal q± t xntefe'/t in tlie'' fislungJindusV?yT- in New ' Zealand. Extremely little was known about fish and he had yet to learn how . to tell tne age of a crayfish. He wanted 1 . to have specialists in all varieties, of s Ne.w. Zealand fish. Mr. Hackett men-fc ^ tioned that tlie representations made bv Mr. Ensor and inen.tio.ned by Mr. Algie, wer.e.nqted b.y the. Department wfiii the result that "tlie breeding grounds ne.ar Thames were elosed to trawlers- shortly afterwards." The Minister said he was coniident "the Bill would do much to conserve and iinpro\e tiie Dominion '3 lish supplies, The Bill was rcad a second time.