Unnecessary
p. 49 · Read in the full issue
[?]losing Manihiki [?]agoon Unnecessary
IR. PHILIP WOONTON, veteran '1 trader and mother-of-pearl shell dealer of the Northern )oks, who was In Auckland in ;bruary, has commented on the jsing of the Manihiki lagoon to vers for the calendar year 1956.
Mr. Woonton said that he felt 3 Cook Islands Administration had en ill-advised in the matter. It is true that under-sized shell had en shipped from the atoll, but is did not mean that the vigorous st-war fishing had fished out all e large shell. [n fact, nothing could be further >m the truth. Mr. Woonton was iphatic that shell was reaching iturity at a rate well in excess of s post-war rate of fishing, turally, with present prices high, rers might try to sell everything it came to hand, but the Admin .tion would be far better advised tighten its policing of these ictices rather than to close the oon. tfr. Woonton said that enormous .sses of clustered shells were to seen in all parts of the lagoon, was important that these clusters broken up. In such clusters there i some large shells and many all shells. If allowed to remain clusters the small shells failed ievelop as they would if separated i scattered. Boring worms were y inclined to attack such clusters, ecially the larger shells.
Ir. Woonton considered that ivier fishing of the Manihiki oon must be undertaken if this Liable lagoon is to be kept free tn serious worm infestation. A >e-down of the lagoon will be mful, in his opinion and in the oipn of other old residents who r e been associated with the in try over the past half-century. [r. Woonton said that the output n Penrhyn lagoon will be ited for some years. There will nuch large but wormy shell, and will be much more difficult to Manihiki is a closed lagoon, rhyn, with its large passages to open sea, is badly invested with d which considerably reduces bility. There are many moray in the lagoon, and divers are htened to feel about in weedy md under such circumstances, tie lagoon, being larger, is also, course, more subiect t 0 rough which hamper operations. r ith shell currently at £AB6O per c.i.f. Svdney, and about 2/2 per nd on the beach, the closing of lihiki is going to mean an •mous—and, Mr. Woonton feels, cessary loss to the Cook ads economy and especially to population of Manihiki. He ‘s that the Administration will nsider the matter.