OUR FISHERIES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2154, 21 May 1914, Page 5

OUR FISHERIES

PROFESSOR. PRINCE'S OPINIONS. Professor E. E. Prince, Commissioner of Fisheries for the Dominion of Canada, who is in New Zealand to report to tlio Government on our coastal and inland fisheries, arrived in Wellington from tho north yesterday, and loft for tlio south in tho evening. Hitherto Mr. Prince lias spent most of his timo looking over tho fishing banks off tho coast, learning ,-thoir exteijt and getting knowledge of the species of fish to bo found there,- and : the, abundance ' or otherwise in which they are to bo caught. Ho. goes south to visit tho chief ports where fish is handled in quantity, and on his return from Bluff ho will collect information about tho lake and, river fishing.

"At the ports: I intend to get into touch with representative fish merchants," said Mr. Princo, "to learn from them and from my own observation how fish is handled at the'ports, how it is marketed,' tho methods of curing, and so on. It seoms to me you havo some excellent cured fish hero. Also, it- seems to mo that your fishing banks are not half exploited. We got such tremendous hauls of fish that I am suro they aro not fished up to their full capacity. In Canada some of our big fishing firms, with the view of educating peoplo to uso fish as an article of diet, issue literature from timo to time. It seems to mo that something of that kind could be done here with advantage. "Inland, I propose to ge t in touch with tho acclimatisation people and sportsmen as much as I can. I: consider that game fish aro of very great value to a country, and thoro is no reason that I can see that Nijwr Zealand should not lead tho world as a resort ror anglers. \on havo such excellent opportunities for introducing info your waters so many different kinds of fish, but I do not think you havo been 'persistent enough in your efforts to_ introduce now game-fish. I don't think you should despair of introducing tlio Atlantic salmon into your southern, rivers. Fry havo certainly been liberated, but- not in sufficient quantity. It is well, to remember that fry, when liberated, go at oncc among a groat number of natural enemies" and that, a comparatively small 'per-centage-of them survive.

"While in t.ho North Island I shall of eourso investigate the lake fisheries, and endeavour to discover the causps of tlip deterioration that lias been observed in some of tlio tront. I am siuVtliat I_ shall find tTiat the detericiration is similar in character to troubles which have afflicted fisli in ' Europe. Tlio origin of it is parasitic ontozoa, harboured for port'of its life, and disseminated bv water birds. I should like to be able to discover, if possible, which bird it' is that, is anting as host for the cntozoa. 'llio peculiar thins; about this parasitic trouble is that it does not involve all the fish in any one. lake or ri'-or, art! of adjoining lakes or rivers. ' The fish in one may be quite sound, while others aro not."

Professor I'rinee will remain jn New Zealand for about three weeks longer.