FISH AND FISHERIES. 137 



and doubtless a little search would discover many such grounds 

 between Point Bass and Shoalhaven Bight. The waters of the Shoal- 

 haven and Crookhaven abound in the best kind of harbour fish, and the 

 whiting are specially excellent ; but here again the want of speedy con- 

 veyance to market operates as an effective prohibition against all enter- 

 prise. The banks just mentioned cannot, however, long remain in 

 their present state of isolation, but must before long be laid under con- 

 tribution as a source of supply. The same remark applies to Jervis Bay 

 in respect to net fish. Its beaches in extent and productiveness 

 are probably unsurpassed by any harbour or inlet on the Avhole of 

 our coast. Whitmg are caught in the bay and on the outer 

 beaches of Wreck Bight in enormous quantities, and were a short 

 time ago, if they are not still, preserved in a dried or salted state by the 

 Chinese fishermen. St. George's Basin, at the southern end of this 

 bight, is a vast nursery for mullet, river garfish, bream, and the 

 ordinary kinds of net fish, but very few are ever taken. Jervis Bay, 

 like Port Stephens, is connected with Sydney by telegraph, and like 

 Port Stephens is a safe and convenient harbour in any weather. Each 

 of these stations is distant from Sydney not more than a few hours by 

 steam, and the facilities for catching large freights of every kind of 

 marketable fish, as well as for curing and utilizing ashore such as may 

 be either unsuitable to or in excess of the demand are common to both. 

 The telegraph, it is almost needless to point out, would be an invaluable 

 guide as to the state of the metropolitan supply. Here therefore, and 

 at Port Stephens, we should expect, in the event of our recommenda- 

 tions for the alternate closing of some of the home fisheries being 

 adopted, that a large fishing industry will be established and worked in 

 connection with steam fishing-vessels of the class. 



(3.) Tlie Outer Grounds. — This section of our sources of supply 

 embraces the remainder of our fishing territory, from Cape Hawke to the 

 Tweed on the north — from Wreck Bight to Twofold Bay on the south. As 

 might be anticipated from the remoteness of the fishing-grounds com- 

 prised within these limits, they are almost untouched, and indeed almost 

 unknown, at all events so far as professional fishermen are concerned. 



The only information about them which we possess comes chiefly 

 from coasting mariners and from the pilots or other officers stationed at 

 the mouths of the various bar harbours which mark the outlets of such 

 rivers as the Tweed, the Richmond and Clarence, the Nambuccra, 

 Bellinger, Hastings, Macleay, Manning, Clyde, M oruya ; also at Twofold 

 Bay, and other points of less importance. From other sources we have 

 been furnished with descriptions of such fishing-grounds as our infor- 

 mants happened to be familiar with ; and some of your Commissioners 

 have themselves been able, from personal knowledge of the localities, to 

 confirm or supplement the information so obtained. 



The Solitaries and other rocky islets lying between Trial Bay and the 

 mouth of the Clarence enjoy a high reputation for schnappers and other 

 valuable kinds of line fish ; and the lower waters of the various rivers 

 which enter the sea within this section of our fishing-grounds are known 

 to abound, like all other rivers on the coast, with the best descriptione 

 of net fish. Similar accounts are given of the outer grounds to the 

 southward. In short, it may be said with perfect truth, that the whole 

 of these portions of our coast waters are plentifully supplied with fish of 



