STEWART’S ISLAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4812, 24 August 1876, Page 6

STEWART’S ISLAND.

The foliowing extracts from the quarterly report of the coastwaiter, Stewart’s Island, for the quarter ended 30th June, 187 C, have been forwarded to us by direction of the Commissioner of Customs. TINNED FISH. The tinning of fish is still being continued, although conducted on a small scale—about a hundred dozen of lib tins being the maximum turn out of one week. From all I can learn, the speculation will pay, and experience having now shown them where their difficulties lie, and how best to overcome them, the proprietors inform me that they intend soon to enlarge their operations. Circumstances at the present seem to favor such a change, inasmuch as the extra number of men drawn hither to prosecute the oyster

fishery, may make labor less difficult to get than formerly, and the addition to the number of cutters passing to and from the Bluff will increase the facilities for transport. the otsteb fishery. The Half-moon Bay oyster bed still maintains its character for fertility, and has decidedly improved up to the present time ; but, indeed, the demands upon it have not been so great as might have been looked for from the number of cutters ostensibly engaged in the trade. This has arisen partly from the boisterous character of the two months by-past, and partly from several of the cutters having had to attend on the sealers, and also on parties engaged in mutton-birding. The cutters now at work are fourteen, and in no instance have they been fewer than nine; but the whole number of oysters removed from said oyster bed since the opening of the season at the beginning of April, would not exceed fifty-five thousand dozen. MUTTON-BIRDING. The season has been a successful one, indeed in all respects resembling that of last year, the number of birds brought home by the Stewart Islanders being about forty thousand. SEALING. The Snares have been taken possession of by two mobs of sealers from Stewart’s Island, namely, fifteen men ; but a party of six men failed to effect a landing on the Solander, and the attempt to laud was not renewed for the reason that they found a party of men from Biverton already on the island. The six men have returned, and will probably use up the remaining part of the season in visiting the seal haunts about Pegasus and the western shores of the island. WHALING. . Since writing my last report, the sperm blubber brought into this place yielded twentythree tuns of oil to the Splendid, of Dunedin, and nineteen tuns to the Chance, of Invercargill. The number of whales caught near the Solander and brought into Port William since the beginning of the season was twelve, which yielded 109 tuns of sperm oil. Of this quantity the Splendid got thirty tuns and the Chance thirty-eight tuns. The last mentioned vessel is now the only one on the whaling ground.