﻿p. 
  Thomson.— 
  Our 
  Fish 
  Supply. 
  383 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  regular 
  food 
  fishes 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  The 
  Hapuka 
  or 
  Gro^^er 
  was 
  in 
  pretty 
  regular 
  supply 
  from 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   September 
  till 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June. 
  The 
  demand 
  for 
  this 
  fine 
  fish 
  is 
  

   not 
  half 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  be. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  market 
  157 
  days. 
  

  

  Ling 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  rather 
  irregular 
  supply 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  For 
  a 
  few 
  

   days 
  this 
  fish 
  would 
  be 
  quite 
  common, 
  and 
  then 
  for 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  a 
  fortnight 
  

   there 
  would 
  be 
  none 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  this 
  quite 
  irrespective 
  of 
  the 
  weather. 
  Was 
  

   79 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  Kahawai 
  was 
  in 
  good 
  supply 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  in 
  January, 
  and 
  occurred 
  

   again 
  in 
  March. 
  

  

  Snapper 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  town 
  in 
  summer 
  and 
  autumn, 
  but 
  the 
  catch 
  

   was 
  limited 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  individual 
  specimens, 
  all 
  of 
  good 
  sizes. 
  

  

  Moki 
  was 
  constantly 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  market, 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  all 
  

   through 
  the 
  year, 
  though 
  most 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  months. 
  Was 
  in 
  

   the 
  market 
  105 
  days. 
  

  

  Trumpeter 
  was 
  in 
  rather 
  short 
  supply 
  during 
  the 
  year, 
  very 
  few 
  having 
  

   been 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  southward. 
  29 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  The 
  Barracoota 
  made 
  its 
  appearance 
  on 
  the 
  29th 
  October, 
  when 
  a 
  

   solitary 
  specimen 
  was 
  caught, 
  followed 
  by 
  abundance 
  on 
  the 
  31st. 
  It 
  

   continued 
  in 
  season 
  till 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May, 
  although 
  one 
  was 
  caught 
  by 
  net 
  in 
  

   the 
  Lower 
  Harbour 
  on 
  the 
  19th 
  of 
  June. 
  Was 
  109 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  A 
  fewFrostfish 
  were 
  caught 
  (I 
  should 
  rather 
  say 
  picked 
  up, 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  

   is 
  never 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  word) 
  in 
  August, 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  

   April 
  ; 
  but 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  July 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   this 
  fish 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  town, 
  one 
  dealer 
  passing 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  109 
  

   through 
  his 
  hands 
  in 
  a 
  fortnight, 
  mostly 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Purakanui. 
  On 
  all 
  the 
  beaches 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Heads, 
  and 
  away 
  to 
  the 
  

   north, 
  particularly 
  about 
  Moeraki, 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  got. 
  Nothing 
  is 
  

   yet 
  definitely 
  known 
  as 
  to 
  why 
  this 
  fish 
  comes 
  ashore 
  in 
  the 
  peculiar 
  way 
  

   it 
  does, 
  but 
  I 
  may 
  give 
  you 
  the 
  latest 
  theory 
  as 
  it 
  appeared 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   papers 
  here 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  two 
  ago. 
  The 
  writer 
  said:—" 
  The 
  stranding 
  of 
  

   these 
  fish 
  is 
  accounted 
  for 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  not 
  being 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  

   fins, 
  they 
  swim 
  with 
  an 
  undulating 
  motion, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  leech, 
  the 
  head 
  

   being 
  elevated. 
  In 
  cold 
  weather 
  they 
  follow 
  their 
  prey 
  into 
  shallow 
  water, 
  

   and 
  when 
  the 
  tail 
  touches 
  the 
  ground 
  they 
  become 
  helpless, 
  and 
  are 
  

   washed 
  ashore." 
  The 
  writer 
  was 
  very 
  easily 
  crammed. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  noticeable 
  

   fact 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  — 
  4| 
  feet 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  

   In 
  the 
  market 
  28 
  days, 
  being 
  the 
  longest 
  known. 
  

  

  Blue 
  Cod. 
  — 
  This 
  staple 
  fish 
  was 
  in 
  fan- 
  supply 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  year, 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  some 
  weeks 
  in 
  winter, 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  some 
  severe 
  

   weather, 
  which 
  put 
  a 
  stop 
  to 
  outside 
  fishing. 
  The 
  supply 
  fi-om 
  Stewart 
  

   Island 
  was 
  very 
  irregular. 
  Was 
  65 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  