Marlborough Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14,1880.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 181, 14 December 1880, Page 2

Marlborough Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14,1880.

Amoxcst tho many valuable and varied resources possessed by New Zealand her fisheries may certainly be regarded as amongst the most important, although they have not hitherto been utilised to anything like the extent they might have been. There is, however, a vast field of wealth yet to be worked profitably in this direction, and as population increase and local industries are fostered the food supply which can he obtained from New Zealand waters will not be neglected. In connection with this subject public attention has been recently called to the fact that great waste and wanton destruction of fish is being caused at Queen Charlotte’s Sound and other fishing grounds of the colony by the practice of fisherman hauling up large quantities of of small fish, which are left on the beach to rot. The Legislature provides that the. mesh of any net used for the taking of fish shall not be under a certain size, and also regulates the time of year for catching fish, but these wise provisions appear to he very much neglected, ami the result cannot be otherwise that detrimental, and threatens to entail in a few years great national loss. The subject is one t o which the Parliament will do well to look next session, with a view to some more effective measure's being adopted to prevent the reckless destruction of fish which there is too much reason to suppose is being carried on to a very great extent from one end of New Zealand to the other, and particularly in the waters frequented by Wellington fishermen. A Wellington contemporary, writing on this subject, points out that if a fisherman finds it easier to leave the small fish to rot on the beach than to restore them to the water, lie will adopt the former course unless restrained by a wholesome fear of pains and penalties, and unless the law prohibiting the use of nets with meshes less than a certain size can be rigidly enforced, there can he no doubt whatever that vast quantities of small fish will continue to be caught, and being unfit for market will be thrown away. Our fellowtownsman Mr Fell deserves much credit for having called the attention of the Pre-s of Wellington—from whence some of the chief offenders against the provisions of the Fish Protection Act are supposed to come—to this subject, and the A r . Z. Time ;«

| has lately referred to it in its leading j columns at some length. Like many j Parliamentary enactments, both here and elsewhere, this Fishery Act appears to he one through which the proverbial legal coach and horses can be easily driven : convictions under ils regulations are rarely obtained, and, if obtained, are generally quashed on appeal, and. as is pointed out. one of the most serious difficulties in the way of enforcing the Act is the absence of adequate provision. For the inspection of the nets and appliances of fishermen. It is provided that the meshes of a sein net are not to be less than one inch and a quarter, j and of en.rti.sh nets not less than one inch, and penalties are provided for breaches of these regulations, but it is obvious that adequate supervision and inspection are required in order to render these provisions of any practical etleet. At present fish are very plentiful in our waters, and this kind of food, wholesome and valuable as it is, does not enter very largely into domestic consumption, but the day is not probably far distant when the demand for lisli will increase, and the supply will he found to have demiiiished owing to the want no waste of previous years. The Acclimatisation Societies of the Colony are doing good service in in-

troducing salmon, trout and a variety of European and American Jish into our streams, and the great majority of people applaud the work which is certainly deserving of all the support, which can be given to it. It is an odd thing that at the same time that efforts are being made to increase the food supply, and add to the facilities of sport to the angler, there is at the sane; time a most want on destruction of all kinds of fish going on all over the Colony. The manner in which millions of oysters are being destroyed by being knocked off the rocks with spades has been a frequent subject of complaint at Auckland, and is probably prevalent in other oyster breeding dictrict, and now the

manner in which alt sorts of small lisli are being netted and thrown away is being widely commented upon. We hope the publicity given to the subject, and its local and general importance will have the effect of producing some amendment to the present statutes relating to Fisheries which will have the effect of conserving this industry which is capable of great expansion, and of being one of the leading interests of the country.