FISH ECONOMICS. 253 



The world's total annual product of fish-oil, including 

 that obtained from the livers of fishes of the Cod family, 

 the Herring family, Sharks, Rays and other fishes, as well 

 as that obtained from the refuse before referred to, has been 

 recently calculated to be about 13,000,000 gallons. And 

 how much of this is made up from Australia? Very little 

 indeed ; in fact, quite an infinitesimal proportion. There is 

 no great effort made on any portion of the Australian coast 

 at the present time to utilise, to any great extent, the op- 

 portunities which present themselves, for the production of 

 oils from any of our fishes; the little that is done, being 

 carried out in a spasmodic kind of way, in connection with 

 a few of the large predaceous Sharks which at times roam 

 in such immense numbers along at least, our eastern coast- 

 line. 



[In this connection I may mention my conviction that 

 in the near future the Sea Mullet (Mugil dobula) is destined 

 to be of great value as an oil producer. It is one of the 

 most abundant of our food-fishes and is distributed over the 

 greater part of our coastline. During the spawning season, 

 when such vast shoals congregate together, the liver is full 

 of oil, and the abdominal cavity is thickly lined with fat. 

 Even around the viscera of healthy immature Sea Mullet, 

 as well as of the adults at times other than the spawning 

 season, there is a considerable amount of fat, and, there 

 appears to be no reason why this should not be made use 

 of at the present time. The amount of oil that might be 

 obtained from this source alone, would form no inconsider- 

 able quantity. Of course, I know the statement will be 

 made, that the fishes are sold in such comparatively small 

 lots, as to render the treatment of the offal unprofitable. 

 In my opinion, the answer to this is: Make it absolutely 

 compulsory for the fishermen to "gut" their fish, prior to 

 forwarding it to market. By this action two purposes would 

 be served; the first and most important being that the fish 

 would reach their destination in a better condition (and 

 consequently there would be less of the deplorable waste 

 which goes on in the hot weather at the present time) ; 

 while, secondly, there would be such accumulations of fish 

 refuse within many comparatively-small areas on many of 



