FISHING EXPERTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1926, Page 4

FISHING EXPERTS.

VISIT OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATORS.

WELLINGTON, January 13. New Zealand will shortly he visited by several scientific authorities on marine and fresh-water fishes. Two scientists are coining from, America, and ono from Denmark. They will spend some time in the Dominion, and the result of their investigations should prove of practical as well as purely scientific value.

The Danish authority is Dr E. JSchmidt, author of numerous works on marine food fishes. Dr Schmidt was a I passenger liy the P- and 0. steainei Maloja, which arrived recently in Australia. It is his intention to come on to New Zealand and spend some time here in furtherance of his scientific work. Although Dr Schmidt is regarded as an authority on fishes generally, lie has become, perhaps, best known to the world in recent years as the man who first throw light on the mystery of the spawning place and life history of the eel. In view of the economic importance of the eel fishing industry in Denmark, the Danish Government is asking Dr Schmidt to make investigation and report on the life historv of the eel, with special regard to the locality of the spawning ground. It may he mentioned that the value of the eel-fisliing industry in Denmark amounts to over £250,000 annually, being second in place to plaice-fishing. Investigations made since 1904 In the Danish, steamer Thor and the Irish steamer Helga in the Atlantic, west of Europe, show that the European fresh-water eel, in order to lie able to breed, required great depths, not less than 500 fathoms, besides high salinity and temperature. Taking this as a basis. Dr Sclmiidt showed lliat the distribution and" migration ol tlio ell in the northern part of Europe was quite comprehensible. It is now accepted as a fact that the principal spawning place of tho cols of Western Europe is on the western side of the Atlantic, in the neighbourhood of the Bahamas. This means that the young eels have to travel at least 2000 miles to Europe.

Having regard to the abundance of eels in the fresh water of New Zealand, and tho number of v species, Dr Schmidt should have ample material for study. The visit of the Danish scientist to New Zealand is being made partly for health reasons.