455 



THE Fishes of the South Australian Government 

 Trawling Cruise, 1914. 



By Edgar R. Waite, Director, South Australian Museum, 



and 

 AllAxNT R. McCulloch, Zoologist, Australian Museum. 



[Confrihuf/on from the Sonf/i Australian and Australian 



M nseums.l^ 



Plates XII. to XV. and Text Figure 1. 



[Read October 14, 1915.] 



As a result of the prospecting cruise of the ill-fated 

 T'ederal trawler "Endeavour" in South Australian waters, 

 the Director, the late Harald C. Dannevig, reported rich 

 fishing grounds in the Great Australian Bight. 



With a view to reaping some of the harvest there indi- 

 cated, the South Australian Government chartered the trawler 

 "Simplon" (Capt. W. Brown), and the senior author accom- 

 panied the vessel on her cruise in the interests of the Govern- 

 ment and of the South Australian Museum, while the 

 Fisheries Department was represented by Inspector W. D. 

 Bruce. Owing to extremely unfavourable weather and the 

 consequent limitation of operations, together with unpayable 

 ■catches of fish, one essay only was made. The cruise extended 

 from September 16 to October 1, 1914, and embraced the area 

 between lat. 32° 86' and 34° 50' S., and long. 128° 45' and 

 133° 12' E., the depths exploited ranging from 22 to 140 

 fathoms. Of the ten hauls made, eight were technically suc- 

 -cessful, but of tliese, tAvo only were regarded as payable. The 

 best haul produced ten baskets of fish, about 700 ft), in 

 weight, composed almost wholly of Swallow-tails (Trachich- 

 thodes lineatus). 



In the absence of a larger and faster vessel, it can 

 scarcely be expected that trawling will b© commercially profit- 

 able on grounds so far distant from the port of Adelaide as 

 those prospected by the "Endeavour." As regards the 

 "Simplon," it necessitated a voyage of 500 miles before the 

 trawl was put over, and a similar distance had to be 

 traversed when the fishing was concluded. The cost in coal, 

 wages, etc., under these conditions is such a heavy item, that 

 phenomenal catches would have to be made to recoup the 

 outlay. The first step towards the institution of trawling 

 in South Australia must undoubtedly be a systematic survey 



