NEW MARKETS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 135, 31 October 1914, Page 7

NEW MARKETS.

I'OR NEW ZEALAND FISH.

BIG EXPOtRT TRADE POSSIBLE.

One of the most interesting portions of the report on the New Zealand fisli°r IC i 3 >- •*' I>rofe ssor Prince, Commissioner ol I« ls'heries in Canada, deals with the posdibihty of finding new markets for Ao\v /(inland Jisli and iisli products, ( Theie is abuiiidant evidence," lie says, that a much larger demand for New Zealand fish could be easily created, the home markets could he vastly increased by better transportation and marketing facilities; but it is the export market, after all, on which a large fishing industry in the Dominion woiuld depend. There are five different methods of putting u,p fish for the export market which are well worth consideration:— (I) Dried fish-powder: This can be readily prepared; and for this class of nsh produce there is an unlimited market in Japan and China and the East 'gemnaliy. I'ish regarded as inferior for table use can he utilised for this jtehpowder, which consists of t'be solid meat removed from the bones, the water extiacted, and the dry material ground up by special machinery in the form of a line powder. {-) Boneless Ttsih either in the shape, of dry 'bricks or smoked fillets: Such fish as the ling, which are at present wasted to a largo extent, and, which are fish of large size and thick, solid flesh, could bo readily made into boneless cod; and, as I suggested, there are other i.V'h. such as elephant fish, with which experiments might be made in this dinet iOIi.

I.J) Salt dried fish: There are a number of species of fish in )few Zealand NatcHi winch it is found can the dried in tiie manner of the salt cod of the North Atlantic and Pacific. Canada exports great quantities of dried salt fish to the Mediterranean, the West Indies, and to some of the Pacific Islands. It is quite possible, therefore, to develop an industry in the preparation and marketing of such. fish. "(4) Chilled fish. I have pointed out elsewhere in tlliis report tllmt fish when properly hnndled and chilled and kept in cool at a steady temperature eJightly above freezing-point, can he kept for long woods" in a condition which is practically thiit of fresh fish. I am convinced that eels, if .properly treated by the removal of the slime, etc., and entiled immediately, and kept under cool conditions, can W shipped at a profit to sonic of tlio great Europeiui 'markets. Apkvrt •from London, which takes an immense supply eels are ill demand in ,i>rmanv, Italy, and other c;;uiuries, an I nianv American cities, Mich as New York, will take an unlimitcil quantity of eels and pay a 'good price for them.

CAPITA!, TINNED PISH. "(.">) Tinned lis'u, fish-paste, etc.: New Zealand has a great many very excellent tis'i. Which would make capital tinned fish, or which might be worked up into fell-paste with very little Into. Eels, luipuka. crayfish ami other kinds make excellent paste which wveii canned will keep for a long time. Some of tile fi'Sh which could lie tinned might. I think, be colored so as to resemble trout or salmon. The use of aniline or other harmless dyes would doiibtle?* improve the appearance of some of tlhe whi-tc-fleshsd fish, and they could be marketed -net as salmon, but as 'table lisli-pas:,e.' or some such general name. J mvi-elf have seen hundreds of eases of the poorest kind of Pucilic salmon land I'd on the b'iji Islands, ami am convinced that tinned li'sSi slightly colored and shipped tot l'iji would be as much in demand as the somewhat pool- class of salmon shipped iu great quami.icu from North America to these Pacific commuii; ties. Anyone acquainted wiHi the Norwegian jisheries will he aware of the large number oif dill'crent kinds of tinned jUi products which arc prepared, many of them from fish of inferior quality, but so well prepared thati they make capital food. I regard the eel, which is superabundant in so antiuy Ne\y Zealand rivcr« and lakes as a very promising fish' for experiments! of thin nature. It. is not esteemed by British, people generally excepting in London ami some of the other large cities, but il is rightly regarded' in such countries as Italy as one of the prime feh, and if prepared iby proper cooking oir by curing a,nil smoking, or being made into a tfishpaste, can 'be made a most appetising and important dish for the table."