Fish Curing and Preserving

ought, at no distant date, to become an important industry. All authorities agree that the New Zealand waters teem with fish in abundance nearly all the year round. Dr. Hector says there is no reason to complain of useful varieties, and that out of 160 sea page 7 fishes on the coast of New Zealand we have nearly as many varieties fit for food as are brought to market in the British Isles. The ports of Invercargill, Bluff, and Riverton offer every facility for carrying on an extensive deep-sea fishing business: the local market is also growing apace for the disposal of fresh fish, whilst for export of cured and preserved fish the Australian market is open to a large supply.

In the last annual report of the secretary to the Marina Department laid before Parliament, Mr Seed states, "The importance of conserving our fisheries, with the object of providing a valuable and wholesome contribution to the food supply of the people, must be patent to everybody. This subject has of late years received much attention in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and also in the Dominion of Canada, where the Government have founded several public establishments for the artificial reproduction of fish for the purpose of restocking the rivers."

In the official report of the Commissioner of Fisheries for 1882 it is stated that the produce of the Dominion Fisheries for the year was valued at £3,217,734, and that the value of the fish exported was £1,379,777. These figures alone show how largely the fisheries of Canada contribute to the wealth of the country, and there is no reason to doubt that, under proper management, those of New Zealand will, in the future, also become an important element in the welfare of the colony.