460 RESULTS OF TRAWL FISHING OUTSIDE PORT JACKSON, 



This, the first attempt at deep water trawling in New South Wales, 

 whether looked upon as unsuccessful or fairly successful, proves one 

 thing incontestably, and that is, that we know very little indeed of 

 the inhabitants of our seas excepting those which are mere surface 

 animals. Of the few fishes dredged up from depths of 40 or 50 

 fathoms, two were utterly unknown before, and the others were 

 looked upon as extremely rare. I trust that the Commissioners 

 will make further attempts to educate our fishermen in trawling, 

 and to show what can be done by that mode of fishing ; but I may 

 be allowed to suggest also, that they should have the survey 

 of the sea bottom out to the 100 fathom line, which was commenced 

 in October 1882, completed as soon as possible, as it is unreasonable 

 to suppose that fishermen can risk the entire loss of such costly 

 nets as the Beam Trawl on unknown ground. 



The following are the descriptions of the two new captures : — 



Lepidotrigla Mulhalli. 

 D. 9/15. A. 15. L. lat. 53. 



Scales regular and smooth, only those on the lateral line slightly 

 keeled and spinous. Head rough and granular, projecting over the 

 mouth in a subspatulate form with the angles strongly spinous, 

 the sides strongly serrated and the middle in front emarginate. The 

 top of the head between the eyes is concave. The operculum is 

 armed with one acute spine, the coracoid bone is very large and 

 terminates in a long acute spine ; there is a prolongation of the 

 skull on each side above the lateral line which also terminates in 

 a large acute spine. The caudal fin is scarcely emarginate, the 

 ventrals are nearly as long as the pectorals and are inserted 

 slightly in advance of them, both fins reach the anal. The colour 

 is of a beautiful red all over, with occasional deeper red blothes on 

 the fins and parts of the body ; the pectorals are, except at the 

 base, entirely-bluish black beneath. 



This Fish was found in abundance in 40 fathoms of water 

 outside the Heads ; the average length was 9 inches. The 

 genus Lepidotrigla is represented in these seas by several species ; 

 of which one L. papilio is known to inhabit Port Jackson, but I 



