THE RECENT TRAWLING OPERATIONS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 154, 26 May 1900, Page 3

THE RECENT TRAWLING OPERATIONS.

Mr Avaon, the Government fishery export, referring to the recent trawling cruise of the Doto, informed a representative of the New Zealand Times that the results, so far, have been satisfactory. The areas in which we found the beet supplies of market fish were iti Pegasup Bay (north of Banas Peninsula), certain parts of the i Ninety-mile Beach, off Otago Heads (particularly Blueskin Bay,), in Molyneux .Bay, Tewaewae Bay, Ei vet ton Bay and Mason's Bay (Stewart Island.) Large supplies of flat fit>h were obtained. In Tewaewae Bay'therowas a particularly good bottom, and" the trawler obtained abundant supplies of the finest flat fish, .including flounders, soles and brill. The fish secured were much admired by fishermen at ths Blufl. In various places the Doto * secured^ mostly .in marketable qua-ntity, flounders three species of soles, brill, moki, gurnard, blue jeod, red •cod, rock cod, schnapper | trumpeter and Macrurus Australis. The last-named fish waa got in con siderabie numbers ia Pegasus Bay and off Bank's Eeninsdla, It is a very fair rnar.ket fish, and the specimens secured weighed from 21b to 41b each. The fishermen were not familiar with it, and. MrjAyson.could not ascertain that" it had any local name. .Here ifhS requires >,1;p be stated that the resulta-of' the cruise must not .be takeri as^ I "conclusive, for it s «annot .be supposed ! th#t a fishing ground can, by one test, r be .pravod valuable, on the .reverse,' .Before p. tdefinite opinion -can ,be, pronounced on any ground, it must b.e visited at different periods of tha year. I?or intsance, off the Nineby-mile ] Beach, at a depth of from 20 to 50. fathoms, the Doto ifojind very ;fi«e,^ easy, sandy areas of sea-bed, hut got vvery few market fish from them. These areas should ba .prospected at ,pthei; seasons, when it is quite likely that u they would yield plentiful supplies. Fish inhabit certain depths of w*ter at' certain seasons ; they do always' inhabit the same area. j