ii6 



VI— THE SNOEK AND ALLIED FISHES IN 



SOUTH AFRICA. 



In Europe the fish of chief commercial value belong to the 

 families of the Gadidae, Clupeidae, Scombridae, Pleuronectidae 

 (Cod, Herring, Mackerel and Flat-fish). At the Cape of Good 

 Hope the Trichiuridae, Pristipomatidae, and Sparidae (Snoek, 

 Silver-fish, Stumpnose) are among the most important, and 

 to these may be now added, since the introduction of trawlers, 

 the Pleuronectidae (Soles). The Snoek family is of little or no 

 importance in the Northern Hemisphere, but in the Southern 

 — in South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and 

 Tasmania — one of its members, called the " Snoek " at the 

 Cape, " Barracouta " in Australia, and " Sierra " in Chile, is 

 one of the chief mainstays of the fishing industry. This is- 

 specially the case in South African fisheries, in which the fish 

 forms the greater part of the export trade. 



The Snoek [Thyrsites atun, Euphr.). 



Difficulties have from time to time arisen with regard to the 

 Snoek fishery, such as the diminution of the supply, the desir- 

 ability of a close season and of a size limit. Doubts have even 

 been raised as to whether the small Snoek protected by legisla- 

 tion is not a different species from the large Snoek, and many 

 of these small forms have been captured on the supposition or 

 under the pretext that this is so. Again the diminution of the 

 supply has been alleged to be due to the destruction of the 

 " spawn " of the fish, which at some places (St. Helena Bay) 

 is said to occur as sheets of gelatinous matter on the surface 

 of the sea, and others (Kalk Ba}^ etc.) as minute particles of a 

 reddish colour. The following notes will throw light on some 

 of these difficulties. 



Among the early entries in Van Riebeek's Journals we find 

 one — " caught a sea-pike," or in his own words a " Zee-snoek," 

 Snoek being the word used in Holland to designate the fresh- 

 water fish the Pike {Esox lucius), which is so abundant in that 

 country. It was not a Pike nor did it resemble it closely, not 

 even belonging to the same family ; one obvious difference, 

 apart from more fundamental divergencies, being its very long 

 dorsal fin, extending along the whole length of the body, 

 whereas in the Pike this fin is confined to the tail region. It 



