25 



Mr. William Jones, acting Port Officer at Plettenberg Bay, 

 writes : " After diligent enquiry and search along the sea coast 

 of the bay I have come to the conclusion that the mortality 

 among the fish has not reached this bay. May not the marine 

 eruption reported for the week ended 26th ultimo have some 

 connection with the death of so many fish. Whilst the up- 

 heaval of the sea lasted it was awfully grand and those looking 

 at it were relieved when it subsided as a boiling crater." The 

 note referred to in the " remarks column " of the fishery 

 returns is as follows : — " On the 23rd September, 1903, about 

 three miles S.S.E. of Seal Cape across the bay towards Salt 

 River, an upheaval of great height was seen about 4.30 p.m. 

 It subsided exactly in the same place, showing great commo- 

 tion in the sea, similar to volcanic eruption." 



Mr. Donald Ben at Knysna Heads reported that " there 

 were a few dead fish washed up on the beach in the early part 

 of last month (September, 1903), but not sufficient to send a 

 report on. The names of the fish washed up were Pruns- 

 kopp of 60 to 80 lbs ; Dageraad, 3 to 10 lbs. ; Hottentot, 2 to 

 3 lbs. I have known these kinds of fish to die more or less 

 every year from cold water, which is caused by a cold southerly 

 current setting inshore with south-east winds. This cold 

 current has no effect on deep-sea fish, only on rock fish." 



Mr. McNaughton, Conservator of Forests, Knysna, reports : 

 " It is no uncommon occurrence for fish to be washed up along 

 the coast in an apparently dead condition. To a greater or 

 lesser extent it happens annually. To my knowledge it has 

 occurred periodically for the last fourteen years .... 

 The fish if uninjured on the rocks are apparently quite healthy 

 and recover their vitality in warm sheltered pools. The usual 

 time of the year for the occurrence is late autumn (February- 

 March) after heavy south-east gales. Some years ago the 

 mortality was excessive, and this was accounted for by the fact 

 that the south-east gales may have driven an iceberg to within 

 a comparatively short distance from these shores, with the 

 result that the water temperature was abnormal. The area 

 affected, to my knowledge, is from Cape St. Francis to Cape 

 St. Blaize." 



At Mossel Bay on the 20th September, 1903, the captain of 

 the trawler Undine reported to Mr. Wadner, manager of the 

 fishing company there, that " last week the bottom of the sea 

 was covered with dead and rotten fish, and at times the net 

 was quite full of these. When the bag was opened and the fish 

 fell on deck, the stench was abominable, and the skipper and 

 the men handling the net felt so sick that they had to throw up 



[C.P. 6-'i4.] 



