NEW ZEALAND SARDINES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 115, 1 February 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND SARDINES

IS AN INDUSTRY POSSIBLE? One of the articles of common use affected by the war is the sardine. The ordinary sardine in oil, which is not really a sardine at all, has become dearer owing to the restrictions placed by the war on fishing, the high price of tin plates and oils, and the keen demand in Germany for the Norwegian tinned 'fish. The possibility of a sardine industry being established in New Zealand is mentioned by Dr. J. Alan Thomson, Director of the Dominion Museum, in the first number of the "New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology." Mr. C. Tate Regan, the well-known British Museum authority on fish, wrote recently: "A fact that may perhaps be empbasised is that the exotic species of sardine resemble the European pilchard, not only in the structure of the adult fish, but in that of the eggs and larvae, and also in their bio-logy-growth, food, migrations, eto., and that the Australian and South American species could certainly be made use of in the same way as the European one. . . Hitherto very little use appears to have been made of the pilchards of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, although they, aro very abundant; perhaps in the future sardine industries will become established in those parts of the British Empire." Just how plentiful the pilchard is in New Zealand waters is not realised by tho public. Many years ago fishermen used to bring some of the small fish ashore, and sell them as "herrings" or "sprats" at a few pence a dozen. But the housewife of to-day prefers the larger Ssh, which are easier to clean and easier to cook. The abundance of the species was noted by Hector as far back as 1572, when he wrote: — "Pilchard, or Sardine (Clnpea sagax). —This is the. true representative of tho herring kind in these seas, and it is reported to visit the east coast of Otago every year in February or March. On the last occasion it was observed that the shoal was migrating southwards, and extended as far as the eye could reach, followed by a multitutlo of gulls, mutton-birds, barracoota, and porpoise. So densely packed were they that by dipping a pitcher in tho sea it would contain half fish, so that if larger boats and suitable nets were employed thousands of tons could be caught. > . Another fish of the same family reported to occur in Now Zealand, and excedingly abundant in Victoria according to Professor M'Coy, is the anchovy (EngraiiHs encrasicholus), being identical with the wellknown anchovy of commerce." There is abundant proof that the pilchard spawn in New Zealand waters, and Dr. Thomson suggests that the fish offers a vast and neglected source of wealth. j