179 
An attempt was also made by a private firm in Cape Town 
to exploit the resources of the deep sea fishing, more especially 
of the Agulhas Bank, which was believed to be a fishing 
ground of great promise. This enterprise was also unfortu- 
nately not a financial success and was dropped. From time 
to time also various experiments in trawling were made at 
Cape Town, False Bay, Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth, 
specially with a view to finding soles, one of the most valuable 
of food fish. Some soles were indeed found, but not in suff- 
cient quantity to justify the expense of trawling operations. 
These enterprises were ultimately abandoned, though at 
feepes beoywm and Port Elizabeth the harbour tugs in their 
spare time occasionally continued the trawling for soles, which, 
being a rarity in South Africa, fetched very high prices. 
eeerically ‘iheretore, these private efforts led to no further 
development of the fishing industry. 
In spite, however, of these disappointing results, there 
was a general belief that the South African seas, if thoroughly 
and systematically explored, would reveal large areas in which 
fish could be caught in quantities, sufficient at least to supply 
the needs in South Africa, and a few individuals who were 
acquainted with the more modern methods of scientific 
research in fishing work, began to urge on Government the 
necessity of a survey of the Cape seas. It was pointed out 
that no private individual or company could afford to make 
a thorough examination of the resources of the Cape seas, 
that such costly attempts had to be abandoned ‘f they did not 
lead to almost immediate practical results, and even then 
there was no guarantee that others might not step in and 
reap the benefit of discoveries made. They urged that such 
a survey was the duty of the State, and ultimately the reasons 
advanced for taking such a step prevailed, and Government 
in 1895 was induced to take the initial steps in instituting a 
survey on the lines of modern scientific research followed 
elsewhere in fishing matters. 
The detailed results of this work need not be gone into. 
At first numerous difficulties were met, the methods best 
adapted for use in South Africa had to be discovered by 
experiment, and the direction in which suitable fishing areas 
were to be looked for were entirely unknown. The final 
results need only be mentioned, and these were such as to 
fully justify the expenditure incurred. Several areas were 
found, hitherto unknown, in which fish were found in an 
abundance that justified the most sanguine anticipations, 
and, in addition, the valuable Sole was procured in catches 
rivalling those of the North Sea. The significance of this may 
be most clearly shown by the fact that the Government 
research steamer in a three months’ test in-the year 1899 
procured on these new fishing grounds about 4,000 cwts. of 
fish, while in the same year the average catch of fish of all 
[C.P. 3—1918] 
