63 



in the absence of some characteristic parts, such as scales, or of 

 photographs, it is impossible to estimate the accuracy of any such 

 reports. 



Despite careful inquiry all along the coast about East London, 

 no evidence of any certainty was obtained. No line-fisherman in 

 those parts could recollect ever having caught or seen any fish 

 that could have been a Coelacanth. Nor had any trawler apparently 

 ever certainly caught one before, anywhere about East London or 

 indeed anywhere in South African waters, certainly not in any 

 human memory. And many trawlers constantly sweep the ocean 

 floor over great areas all along our shores, day and night, at all 

 sorts of depths. While a trawler catches pretty well everything of 

 any size in the parts it covers, line-fishing does not do the same. 

 Repeatedly in much-fished areas I have caught by poison and 

 other means fish, large fish, that never bite on hooks. Was there 

 not still a chance that this Coelacanth might fall in that category ? 



All along the South African coast there are strong currents in 

 the sea. The main stream is the Mozambique current that flows 

 south and westwards, swinging close in to shore or farther out 

 according to the wind. Though it does not change in direction, 

 by its variation of position in relation to the shore it creates at 

 times other almost equally powerful reverse currents. In such 

 conditions line-fishing is extremely difficult and commercially 

 impossible in any but fairly shallow water, so that if the Coelacanth 

 happened to live among reefs at the loo-fathoms mark or deeper, 

 it might possibly have escaped notice. On the other hand, there 

 would almost certainly be regular strays to shallower water, or sick 

 or dead fishes washing up, that would most likely have been noticed 

 had they been about, as they would almost certainly be large. 

 Most fortunately for me, shortly after the discovery, the South 

 African Government Fisheries vessel came to East London, and 

 working for some time over the whole area where the Coelacanth 

 had been found, tried by every possible means to catch another or 

 to find further traces, but failed to do so. The whole weight of 

 the evidence therefore seemed to be unquestionably against the 

 possibility that the Coelacanth could be living in the sea anywhere 

 near East London, even at fair depths among reefs. 



It is curious that most of the very primitive types of fish that 

 still live on today are found in fresh water. This possibility had to 



