Big Fish May Lurk In Ocean Depths

Chronicle (Levin), 8 February 1949, Page 6

Big Fish May Lurk In Ocean Depths

AUCKLAND, Feb. 7. The possibility that some gigantic species of lish may J,urk far below in the ocean in the world 's great deeps is interesting seientists who will tour the world from 1950 to 1952 with the DanLsh Government 's deep sea expedition. "We do not know," said the ieader of the expedition, Dr Anton Brunn at the Pacific Science Congress, "but we may lind something.- No one has ever tried to reach for larger lish in the great depths and there has not been a chance of iinding out." Dr. Bruun, who is deputy keeper of the Zoologicai Museum at Copenhagen University, told congress delegates that very little was known about the greatest ocean dcx'ths. A small country like Denniark couid not cover all the iields of oeeanography and as the coming expedition would have a ship litted fm the work, it was. a scientilic duty to mvite other seientists who had .tlie knowledge, to undertaxe special investigations. The exjjedition 's shij) would carry seven Danish seientists and one or two visiting seientists. He trusted tliat Dr. R. A. Falia, Director of the Doininion Museum, Wellington, who travelled for a time with a Danish expedition 20 years ago, would jom the ship in New Zealand early in 1951. So far only a few hauls had been uiade at depths of G000 and 6800 .netres, a greater depth having been reached recently. by a Swedish party m the Atiantic Ucean where the fauna was relatively poor. By using suitable gear the Danish expedition hoped to plumb even further into the ocean. The ship would use 15,000 feet of .wire rope and lower it into all the great deeps including that east of Mindanao in the Philippines where depths of more' tlian 30,000 feet had been recorded. Dr. Brunn referred to the catch in deep water ofi' Australia, of a latimeria lish 1201b. in weight and 5ft. iong and to an eel nearly Gf't. long caught off the Cape of Good Hope. "What^a crea- , u ro tnat will be wlien it grows," he .•onmiented. ''That is why we are tak:ng shark hooks and halibut lines to uhe deep water." Saies of cigarettes in Denmark had iclped to finance the expedition, explained Dr. Bruun. Seientists support.ng the plan had obtained from Dauish t'riends living in the United States aud Britain, gifts of 8,000,000 cigarettes .iiid permisison had beeu given by the liaiiish klinister of Finance to sell tliem to rai^e funds'. Cigarettes were m very short supplv and on the blackniarket were selling at from 8s to 10s for 20. The expedition 's backers sold ilieir cigarettes at from 5s to Gs and gained a total of 2,000,000 Danish kroner.