A USTR A I . I A X F I S 1 1 1: R I KS. 



II 



Tlie area sDuth from Cial)o Island includes the eastern 

 sl()])e and Flinders Islai;!; it has been visited during J3 

 different cruises between April. 1909, and Aui^ust, 1913; 

 the net was fishing for 432-! hours, and the t;,tal catch of 

 marketable fish amounted to 81,715 lbs, or an average of 

 189 lbs. ])er hoiu" of fishing. The gross ri^sult for th^se 

 eastern waters is: — 



No. of 

 Cruises. 



30 



Total Trawl- 

 ing Time. 

 Hours. 



In the Great Australian Hight, five cruises were devoted 

 to examination of the edge of the shelf; two during Febru- 

 ary and March, 1912, and the other three between F'ebru- 

 ary and April. 1913. The net was fishing for 144 hours. 

 and resulted in a catch of 29,232 lbs. of marketable fish, 

 the average taken being 203 lbs. per hour of fishing. The 

 deeper section in the Bight was examined during three 

 cruises in May and June this year; the net was fishing for 

 122 hours, and resulted m the capture of 13,939 lbs. of 

 marketable fish, or an Average of 118 lbs. per hour. 



The gross totals for he Bight experiments are- 



No. of 

 Cruises. 



Total Trawl 



ing Time. 



Hours. 



266 



43J7r 



150 



The totals for eastern and western waters cjniljineil are — 



No. of 

 Cruises. 



38 



Total Trawl- 

 ing Time. 

 Hours. 



926 i/i 



Total 



Catch. 



lbs. 



209.607 



Average 



per Vlour. 



lbs. 



220 



In considering these figures, great care is neces- 

 sary in order to a])preciate their true value, for it must 

 always be kept in mind that during a cruise the " Endeav- 

 our " has to make efTort to cover as nmch ground as 

 possible consistent with systematic work, and freciuently 

 she is compelled to leave rich areas and go on to others, 

 either (juite unexi:)lored or known to be infericir. When, 

 therefore, the mean average catch over the two princii^al 

 grotmds is ])ractically e(|invalent to the aveiage result in 

 tile .\orth Sea, a commercial vessel, having no other ol)iecl 

 than the catching of the t^reatest possible (|uantity of fish, 

 must be exoected to capture a good deal more. Twenty 



