Suva Now Has Fishermen

—And Will Soon Hove Fish

rERE should soon be no room for the complaint (which we published in October “PIM”) that there are “no fishermen in Fiji—and no fish.’’

Three ex-Servicemen —two of them in partnership—are well advanced in their preparations for supplying the Colony with fish, which are to be caught, handled and distributed by modern methods. In each case they have been given assistance by the Fiji Rehabilita tion Board.

Details of these fishing enterprises have been supplied to us by the Fiji Public Relations Office and the photographs are by Mr. Rob Wright, of the same depart ment.

MR. OSCAR WRIGHT, who had much fishing experience before the war, will work on his own. He plans to use methods similar to those employed in some parts of the United States and offer live fish to his customers. His pre parations are so far advanced that he hopes to begin operations this month (May).

Each of the four vessels he will use will have a specific purpose: a depot barge which measures 60 x 20 ft., with a well for the storage of the live fish; a 40 ft. diesel launch, also with a well for live fish storage, as a supply and transoort ship; and two 27 ft. utility launches which will be used for the ac tual fishing.

The barge well is ou ft. long hy 9i ft.

T ”’de and has an average depth of 4 ft. it is divided into comnartments for the segregation of the various species. On

the barge will be housing for a caretaker and his family.

The launches have been specially de signed for the work by Mr. Alex Bentley and built under his supervision at the Public Works Department’s boatshed at Walu Bay, Suva.

This is how the outfit will operate: The barge will be moored near Suva, while the supply launch will tow the smaller craft to the selected fishing grounds—which may be as far north as the Yasawas or as far south as the Lau Group.

About once every three weeks the sup ply launch will convey a live catch to the depot barge, from which customers may select the kind of fish or turtle they require.

An engineer and four Fijian fishermen will help Mr. Wright in his new enter prise. Later, it is hoped that they will he abl° to extend their service and de liver live fish by van in and around

Suva township.

rE second fishing enterprise will be run by Mr. J. A. Hill and Mr. E.

F. Storck, in partnership. Their fish ing craft are: a large diesel-powered launch, a smaller utility launch and three punts.

The large launch was originally an open Higgins boat used by the American Navy; it has been converted at a local shipyard after five months of hard work and is now a rugged, schooner-rigged auxiliary fishing boat.

Its deckhouse runs almost the full length of the ship and its wheelhouse,

for’ard, is weather-proof and spacious enough to serve as sleeping accommoda tion for the captain. Below the for’ard deck are three bunks for the crew.

This launch has a modern freezing chamber capable of holding and freez ing six tons of fish. Insulation is pro vided by eip-ht inches of coconut fibre dust, and the freezing apparatus is oper ated by a h.p. Rushton Hornsby engine.

The three punts are each 20 feet long and the utility launch 17 feet long.

A small island off the Macuata coast has been selected as a base; and here Mr. Storck and several Fijian fishermen will net the fish, usinp- the utility launch and the nunts. Once a fortnight, Mr.

Hill will transport the fish, frozen and nacked in 100 lb. boxes, to Suva, in the large launch.

Should there be a surplus of fish, this will be smoked or salted at the base island.

The partners were hoping to com mence operations at the end of April.

Photographs show: (1) Mr. E. F. Storck (left) and Mr. J. A. Hill (centre) converting a US Navy boat. (2) Mr.

Wright discussing con structional problems with Mr. L. Bentley, and Mr.

A. Bentley of Public Works Department. (3) Mrs. Bene Ragg christens "Kusima"(Messrs. Hill and Storck), not with champagne, but with kava, which can be seen cascading down the vessel’s bows.

“Kusima” is Fijian for “the desire for fresh fish.”