Fiji's Tuna Fleet fc

Dutch New Guinea

SUVA, Sept. 22..

THE fleet of small ships whio South Seas Marine Produdi brought to Fiji from the II a couple of years ago, hoping i establish a tuna fishing industi here, are still idle and tied up : Lami, near Suva.

They have been bought by a American company which is zu gotiating with Netherlands author ties who are anxious to establis a tuna fishing industry and can nery in Dutch New Guinea.

Exhaustive tests showed ths. there were tuna in Fiji water but. after the ships and equipmei were brought here, and a cannei established at Pago Pago to can fc the American market, it was four that the tuna hereabouts refuse to be caught by orthodox tuns fishing methods.

One of the clippers, Senibm went to New South Wales lai summer but, although satisfactoi quantities of the fish were caugh nothing further transpired.

The NSW Government, throug an irresponsible Chief Secretan made things as difficult as possibc for the visitors and it was probabc considered that the setting-up such an industry in Australia und'i existing political and economic con ditions was not worth botherin about.

Senibua returned to Suva aboK six months ago.

The Australian Governmer made extensive fishery surveys i New Guinea and Papuan waters i 1950 and tuna was among the fis. noted in large quantities. Presunr ably the Dutch have made simihJ surveys.

Since the survey, little has bee done to establish fishing on a com mercial scale in P-NG, althoug the industry figured largely in tH Administration’s post-war natri policy.

Most people will hope that tH extreme coyness of Fiji tuna not extend to those in Netherlann New Guinea waters, and that tH Dutch succeed in their project.