February 28, 1890.] 



SCIENCE. 



141 



kahawai appears very commonly in the markets, but its flesh 

 is rather dry. 



The snapper (Pagrus unicolor) is also very abundant, and is 

 one of the best edible fishes in these seas. It is taken up to 

 thirty inches in length, and, though commonly from five to ten 

 pounds, is not infrequently twenty-five pounds in weight. It 

 may be taken by bait, and is a grand fish for sport, but it is 

 commonly caught in seine-nets, in which enormous hauls, 

 weighing several tons, are sometimes taken. Two species of 

 Latris, known respectively as trumpeter and moki, are common 

 round the coast. The first is always taken by bait, and the 

 latter only by seine-nets or trawls. They are deep and com- 

 pressed in form, and range up to twenty or thirty pounds in 

 weight, though often brought to market when only weighing 

 two or three pounds. They are two of the best curing fishes in 

 the colony. 



The fish most valued for its gastronomic qualities is the frost- 

 flsh (Lepidopiis caudaius) , which is very similar to if not 

 identical with an Atlantic species. Indeed, it is one of the 

 most remarkable features of the fish fauna of the south tem- 

 perate zone that it resembles in general features that of the 

 north temperate zone, from which it is separated by a totally 

 dissimilar tropical fauna. The frost-fish is a long, narrow, 

 silvery fish, which is apparently never taken either in nets or 

 by bait, but gets stranded on sandy beaches, especially after 

 cold frosty nights : hence its popular name. Numerous theories 

 have been advanced as to the cause of its coming ashore, but 

 no satisfactory explanation has vet been given. Numerous 

 papers on the subject are to be found in the volumes of the 

 ' 'New Zealand Institute Transactions' ' and in the New Zealand 

 Journal of Science, but the subject has not been cleared up. The 

 fish commands a ready sale at a high price, — often as much as 

 half a crown per pound, — and hence is never cured. 



Another important pelagic species is the voracious barracouta 

 {Thyrsites atun) , which appears in enormous shoals about 

 October, and remains on the coast for seven or eight months. 

 It is a common South-East Australian and Tasmanian fish. 

 It is a long narrow fish, bluish-white in color, usually from 

 thirty to thirty-six inches in length, and weighing five or six 

 pounds. It flashes through the water like a knife, and, though 

 it takes bait readily, is not a pleasant creature to hook, as its 

 formidable teeth will cut through any line. Sometimes when 

 half a dozen lines are out from a boat for cod, a barracouta 

 will seize one of the hooks, and, dashing off at a great pace, 

 will in half a minute kink all the lines into an almost inextri- 

 cable tangle. The usual mode of capture is very simple and 

 interesting. The writer sat on the cliffs at Otago Heads on 

 a summer's morning, watching the fishermen in the still water 

 down below filling their boats. The bait used consists of a 

 piece of red-cedar wood with a bent nail driven through it near 

 one end. This is fastened to a couple of feet of stout cord, 

 whicb again is attached to the end of a short strong rod. As 

 soon as a shoal is observed to be passing, the oars are unshipped, 

 and each of the two men in the boat, seizing his rod, begins to 

 whisk it round and round in the water. The fish dash at the 

 bait, and are rapidly jerked into the boat, several being often 

 caught in the space of a minute. In perhaps two or three 

 minutes the shoal is past, and the boat is again pulled about 

 till another shoal is met with. The flesh of the barracouta is 

 firm and white. It is especially palatable when smoked, and 

 in this state is exported to a considerable extent to New South 

 Wales and Victoria. 



The only true cod (Gadus Aiistralis) found in New Zealand 

 waters is called locally the haddock, and is not common. The 

 red cod {Lotella bacchus) , on the other hand, is extremely 

 abundant, and is also an excellent fish for curing. Its usual 

 weight is from four to five pounds, though it is taken up to ten 

 pounds. Another equally good fish is the representative of the 

 northern fish of the same name, — the ling (Oenyptenis blacodes) . 

 This is very common in the southern part of the colony. The so- 

 called rock-cod or blue cod (Percis colias) , which belongs to a 

 totally diflierent family of fishes from the Gadidae, is abun- 

 dant in all rocky parts of the coast. 



The gray mullet (Mugil penisii) is met with in enormous 

 quantities in the northern part of the colony, and especially 

 in tidal estuaries. It is the richest of all New Zealand fishes, 

 and is now being extensively canned as well as cured for export 

 in the Auckland and Kaipara harbors. According to Sir James 

 Hector, the Maoris frequently catch this fish on still moonlight 

 nights by paddling their canoes close to the banks of the 

 streams. The fish are startled by the beat of the paddle, and, 

 leaping up, fall into the canoe. The fishermen take them in 

 large seine-nets, as many as two thousand fish at a time hav- 

 ing been recorded ; and, as each fish weighs from one to four 

 pounds, it sometimes happens that the nets tear with the 

 weight of the haul. The sea mullet {Agonostoma forsteri) , 

 which is very abundant round the coasts, is a much smaller ' 

 fish, and not so rich in quality. It is usually caught in all the 

 harbors by persons fishing from the jetties. This fish is some- 

 times called the herring in popular parlance, but a fish (Chanos 

 salmoneus) more closely resembling the true herring is taken 

 occasionally by the trawlers ; and, when this mode of fishing 

 is more commonly resorted to, it will no doubt be a common 

 fish in the market. 



The true pilchard or sardine {Clupea sagax) occurs in enor- 

 mous quantities round the coasts. Its capture and curing are 

 made a specialty in Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds, and 

 the cured fish is known in the colony as the Pictou herring. 

 An anchovy {Engraulis enorasicholus, var. Antipodum) has also 

 been taken in the Thames estuary, but not yet in any quantity. 

 Other fishes common in the local markets are horse mackerel or 

 scad {Trachurus traohurus) ; trevally {Caranx georgianus) ; 

 king-fish {Seriola lalandii) ; John Dory {Zeus fabtr) ; mackerel 

 {Scomber australasicus) ; gurnard {Trigla kumu) , called by the 

 local name of ' 'Jack Stuart' ' in the southern part of the colony ; 

 gar-fish {Hemiramphus interniedius) ; butter-fish (Coridodax 

 pullus) . which is commonly called kelp-fish because usually 

 found among the seaweed fringing inshore rocks and reefs ; and 

 the skate {Raja nasuta) . 



A very fine flounder {Rhombosolea monopus) is common in all 

 the shallow estuaries, bays, and coastal lagoons. It is the fish 

 most commonly sold in the niarkets the whole year round, and is 

 certainly very good eating. A sole {Peltorhaniphus novce-zea- 

 landice) and a sole-like flounder {Rhombosolea leporina) , com- 

 monly known as ' 'yellow-belly, ' ' are also frequently caught. 



Reference has been made in previous numbers of Science to the 

 gi'eat success which has attended acclimatization efforts in the 

 fresh waters of the colony. Most of the rivers and lakes now 

 teem with trout of several kinds, including the beautiful Ameri- 

 can brook-trout {Salmo fontinalis) . Salmon {S. salar) , perch, 

 tench, and cat-fish are increasing in various parts. Already the 

 various acclimatization societies raise a considerable amount of 

 revenue from licenses, and sales of fish and ova, and no -doubt 

 every year the value of the inland fishery will increase. The 

 great experiment, that of the complete acclimatization of the 

 salmon, has not yet been accomplished, but breeding-fish are 

 now to be found in several ponds, so that the supply of ova is 

 assured. 



Outside of fishes proper, there are only two species which 

 attract much notice on account of their economic importance: 

 these are crayfish and oysters. The former {Palinimis) occurs 

 on all the rooky parts of the coast in great numbers, and is 

 usually taken in a baited ring-net. It is the only representative 

 of the European lobster in these seas. There are no large edible 

 crabs, like those of the northern hemisphere. Shrimps 

 {Crangon) and prawns {Palcemon, etc.) are hardly ever taken 

 for food, though common enough in places. Oysters are of 

 two kinds, — small rock oysters, which are found all round the 

 coasts; and the mud oyster, of which the most valuable 

 fisheries occur in Stewart Island. The latter kind are very lai'ge 

 in size, and fine in quality, and make a formidable mouthful. 

 Tlie quantity dredged has increased so much of late years, that, 

 if not looked after, the beds will soon be exhausted. The 

 export only dates from 1879, when £12 was the declared value. 

 The value has steadily increased each year, standing at £12,000 

 for 1888. The consumption in the colony must have been very 



