Toilers of the Sea in Auckland

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 946, 12 April 1930, Page 17

Toilers of the Sea in Auckland

jr~ '' -- j Zealand m- ' Q mcrcial fish in g, 1 5 r -. ,~r ", j which, ns an organ* i [ E~ ~ .' J ised activity in i. Auckland, goes back only about 70 years. The history of the industry -which supplies the second course for Auckland dinners is a romance embracing a little of the spirit of the sea, the determination of ambitious men, and the discoveries of jexperts who ha-se revolutionisedeflshing on a large scale within half a century. Seventy years ago the first lone fishermen of the Waitemata rowed to the fishing grounds and raked in their catch with hand lines. T*he fish were plentiful —so plentiful, in fact, that there was not sufficient food for them and only a small proportion of a catch could be sold to consumers. The generally accepted explanation of the poor qua!-, ity of the fish was that the sudden increase of activity in tho harbour had driven away many of the larger fish that were the natifVal enemies of the

(able fish, which flourished unchecked. It was some time before nature restored the balance between the different sorts of fish, and the swarms of schnapper and terakihi, finding insufficient food, were, in the main, poor fish. It therefore became necessary for the fishermen to catch three or four times as many fish as they hoped to sell, and theirs was no light labour. Sanfords at Rakino From those early times up to the present the story of the fishing industry has been closely linked with the name of Sanford. It is claimed by members of the family that the late Mr. Albert Sanford was the first fisherman in Auckland to catch fish for marketing as a regular trade. He established his depot on the island of Rakino where tho new industry was soon flourishing. Members of the Sanford family caught fish in the harbour and brought them to Rakino. There, with the catches of other independent fishermen, they were

cleaned and smoked. Almost every day Mr. Sanford, in one of hie two yachts, the Foam and the Thames, v iaitf»d the city and sold his bundles of smoked fish on the Queen Street wharf near Swanson Street, the waterfront then being about where Fort Street is now situated.

As the business progressed Mr. Sanford opened a small shed in Albert Street and transacted his business, still using the island as an outlying base. From this beginning, the enterprise has now grown to its present proportions. The company of Sanfords, Ltd.,! now operates four steam trawlers and! occupies extensive premises in Jellicocj Street, near the "Western Wharf. There ! the fish are cleaned and dispatched im- j mediately to a circle of shops operated by the company. Other activities are the conversion of offal into valuable! fertiliser, the freezing of fish for export ! and preservation by smoking.

Early Daysja t Harrier While the Sanford family had established an early base for operations on Rakino, however, there were many independent fishermen operating in the waters near Cape Colville and taking their catches to bases on the Great Barrier or Flat Island. The fish, hung

| on trestles to keep them fresh, were I sent down to the town by steamer, and 1 either sold by ithe bundle on the wharf j or sent to smoke houses in the city. One of the most popular of these curing establishments was near the foot of College Hill in Patterson Street, which was ; then the waterfront. The steamer service being at times irregular, it was not unusual for the fishermen on the Barrier to be left with fresh fish on their hands, and it was then that two or three of the larger and faster boats would sail to Auckland to dispose of their catches. Instead of returning to the Island without cargo, some of the fishermen would carry liquor for all hands and there are still many who can remember the stormy

nights that followed on the Barrier. In the words of one old fisherman—- “ They would fight with marlin spikes and the nights were so full of noise that it was better not to investigate too closely. When the drink ran out, J the men sailed off to the fishing grounds J again and their hazardous life was re- | sumed until the next fiery cargo ar- : rived from the eitv.” j A. chance injury in a wild fight was i not the only danger to which fisher ; men were subjected in those days. J Stormy seas meant heaving and slipI pery decks, and the chances of “man j | overboard I’ 7 were by no means remote, j

Dangers Still Exist Captains of the launches now engaged in fishing do not face the same dangers as the fishermen of 40 years ago. They have dependable engines on which to rely, and they are usually discreet when deciding whether the barometer’s warn ing justifies a postponement of sailing times.

I Fishermen and Their Boats ... Romance of Rakino and Flat j Island . .. . Trawlers and Seine ! Net Launches .. .

(Written for THE SUy by MAX P. WHATMAX.)

There are naturally times when the most dependable engine fails in its duty I and then there is danger indeed. About I two years ago two fishermen were

3 [ change in the craft used became neces--7 j sary. Staunch vessels were required t for longer voyages, and speed, also, e 1 became of great importance as the men

had to make all haste to the base to unload the fish before the catch went bad. Fishermen of those days were yachtsmen as well, and races between boats, bound for the base with a cargo, were keenly contested. The men handled their boats with the greatest skill, and, so keen was the rivalry between the owners of the fastest of the craft, that special races for fishing boats became a feature of Auckland’s famous Anniversary Bay regatta. Races were put on for the larger and smaller classes of boats, and special 'races, for side bets, were quite common. On one

occasion Mr. Gilbert Sanford offered to match his Dolphin against the speedy Little Jim for £SO over a course of 15 miles. The Greek who owned the Little Jim, however, declined. His interest lay in fishing, and the spirit of rivalry existing between the owners of the prides of the fleet was not sufficiently strong in his breast to prompt the risking of £SO. Quite a few of the boats built, in those days, for fishing, are still winning races on the Waitemata. Mr. Sanford’s Dolphin was wrecked off Cape Colville about 15 years ago. The ‘ Little Jim, now owned by Mr. W.

Goodeson, and the Victory, owned by the brothers George, have been particularly successful in regatta racing. Both boats were built by Logan Bros., and the Victory is well known for the cruise its owners made to Norfolk Island. The Rangi, owned by Mr. A. Leonard, and the Kestrel, owned by Mr. J. Ayling, are other boats that were built for fishing, but are now among the best of Auckland’s-pleasure fleet. The White Heather, built by Mr. Charlee Bailey, has been taken south to Wellington. All these boats with the exception of the Victory, which is an A class yacht, rank as B class keelers. They were built for speed, but are also very staunch craft. The Little Jim was built of kauri that had been seasoned for seven years. It was built with three skins of 3-Bin. timber, and its* present owner would not accept three times the price it was built for as its value. As it became necessary to go still farther from the base for good hunting, boats that were independent of the breeze were required, and the more progressive fishermen installed auxiliary engines. From then on, the triumph

©f machinery over the elements "was further assured until the fishing fleet was composed almost entirely of oil launches. The trawlers which were introduced into New Zealand waters hastened the change, also, although it is a far cry from the old Minnie Casey of 1890 to the James Cosgrove which, today, is the leader of Sanfords’ squadron. How Fish is Caught The average Aucklander knows but little of how his fish is garnered from the sea. Beyond an appreciation ot its appearance as it lies on his plate, artistically embellished with a 6meai of anchovy sauce or flanked by slices of lemon, his knowledge of how th* delectable meal came to him from its home in the deep is scanty. There are two main sources by whicl Auckland is now supplied with fish Trawlers owned by Sanfords, Ltd., sup ply one chain of shops and most of tin

seine net fishermen dispose of their catches through the Auckland Fishermen’s Co-op. In the winter a trawling trip lasts about five and a half days, but in summer, when there is need for greater speed in the handling of the fish, two trips a week are usually made by each ; boat. On arrival at the fishing grounds, j which may be on the outskirts of the ; Hauraki Gulf, in the Bay of Plenty, I or on the West Coast, the “gear is I shot.” This means that the net and ! trawl boards are slipped overboard, j The trawl boards, heavily sheathed, j

rest on the ocean bed while the net floats above them, its mouth kept open by floats and the pull of two opposed cables which are fastened t§ substantial “gallows” at each end of the trawler. For three and a half or four hours the gear is towed by the trawle» at about six miles an hour. Then the gear is hauled on board bv winches

! and the fish emptied out on deck from ; the cod-end or bag of the net. The ' catch is sorted into the various varieI ties and carried in baskets to the fish | room where it is placed on shelves I between layers of ice. There is a delay | of only half an hour and a new trawl i is commenced, the operation being continued both day and night. With a | catch of from four to six hundred the little steamer returns to ; port. The weight of fish caught is usually about 20 tons, but this amount i varies considerably according to the i weather and the location of the fishing grounds. Seine net fishing is engaged in by j independent fishermen, most of whom

dispose of their catches through a co. operative association. The vessels used are oil launches with a crew generally consisting of three men. A. ravourite fishing ground for these vessels is about 56 miles out, between Cape Colville and the Great Barrier Island. The launches are naturally limited in the extent of their cruises which usuallv last about a day and a half. The methods followed by these fishermen are very different from the fishing by otter gear as on steam trawlers. A small boat is dropped from the launch. Sometimes the 6mall boat carries a flag so that the men on the launch may pick it up easily as the boat itself may be hidden in the trough of the waves. To the boat are attached two ropes. The launch moves away paying out from two coils of cope, and finally the net, on either side of which one of the ropee is attached. As soon as the net has been dropped overboard, the launch comes back to the small boat where the ends of the ropes are taken on. These are attached to a winch, worked off the engine, and the net is hauled in. The operation takes about an hour and a half—half an hour to pay out the net and 900 fathoms of rope, and an hour to haul it in again. The fish are taken from the net and placed on blocks of ice in the hold when another trawl is be-

gun. A good average catch for a seine net boat is three tons. The work is hard and meals ara taken at decidedly irregular hours. There is but little rest for any member of the crew until the catch i« safely unloaded at the wharves near the City Markets. The crews of trawlers enjoy better conditions. All the deck hands are on duty when the gear is hauled on board each four hours. As soon as the fish is sorted and stowed away, the men are able to rest until the next trawl is completed. In 1917 the Auckland City Council opened a municipal fish market, but the venture was not a success and the market was closed in 1923. The Council’s two trawlers, the Simplon and Cowan, were sold. The Simplon, having been used for some years in harbour towing, has now been acquired by Fish, Ltd., and will be again used for trawling. The Cowan found a buyer in the south. There are now five steam trawlers in Auckland, four of them the property of Sanfords, Ltd. The biggest of these is the James Cosgrove, which is believed to be the largest south of the Line. The vessel is 125 feet long with a covered forecastle. The other threa boats are the Serfib, the Humphrey, and the Thomas Currell, all vessels of the Strath type. The boats berth off the \Vestern Wharf in front of Sanfords’ premises, and can be easily recognised as they are painted black with a schnapper, outlined in white, on the funnel. Each boat carries a crew of ten men —captain, first mate, engineer, three three firemen and a cook. The industry in Auckland now runs smoothly on the wheels of tried organisation. The fish, caught by trawlert and a part of the launch fleet, is distributed to a chain of shops by Sanfords, Ltd. The greater part of the 3eine net catch is handled by the Auckland Fishermen's Co-op., also through its own shop and delivery. Every effort ; is made to give the public the best of fish as cheaply as possible, and the in- : dustry flourishes in consequence.