122 American Fisheries Society 



spread, abundant in the north and extending even as 

 far south and west as Dusky Sound. It is plentiful near 

 Auckland and Poverty Bay, especially around the weird 

 eternally-smoking White Island. As many as 2,000 

 snappers are often taken in a single haul. On hotel bills 

 of fare, in New Zealand, this red snapper is a favorite 

 item, and the firm white flesh, and delicate, if not very 

 marked flavor, cause them to rank high as food fishes. 



CONGER, LING AND OTHER FISH WASTED. 



Fine conger eels, sometimes of a striking yellow color, 

 frequent the offshore waters, and specimens reaching a 

 length of 6 or 7 feet are quite common. The species is 

 Leptocephalus conger, Forster, and it is scaleless, but 

 has very firm and palatable flesh. The conger eel is not 

 eaten in New Zealand, and quantities are dumped over- 

 board each season by the fishermen, and as on this con- 

 tinent are thus wasted; nor does the ling, Gmypterus 

 blacodea, one of the Ophidiidaa, fare better. Ling range 

 from 10 to 20 pounds or over, and are common on the 

 shores of South Island, but are not eaten, though the 

 flaky flesh is white and salts well. 



KINGFISH OR SO-CALLED BARRACOUTA. 



The savage looking so-called Barracouta or Snoek, 

 Thyrsites atun, Euphrasen, is abundant three feet long 

 and five pounds and over, in weight. Split and smoked 

 it sells readily, and large quantities are taken by the 

 fishermen. Its abundance may be judged irom the fact 

 that two men will take 250 to 500 in three or four 

 hours fishing. The name Barr^uta is ^~ 

 given to two other fish, namely the king-fish, of the South 

 Island, Rexea furcifera, Waite, and the fine ^ very king- 

 fish of North Island, Seriola lalandu, really the Yellow 

 Tail or Amber Fish of Florida and the Carolmas. The 

 former, which belongs to the Trichiuridse, exposes two 

 formidable canines on the projecting lower jaw, even 

 when the mouth is closed, and it has thus quite a fero- 



