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W,,c..d..~.. ..................................... .. Dale .... / ..Z-;-. ....8'. ... -;..fi., ...J.:. ................................................ J lnlervlewer .......... .......J.. 1.... dJ-j!..~ ... .......................... , 0 P E N F 0 U N D A T I 0 N AUSTRALIAN HISTORY REGIONAL HISTORY RESEARCH PAPER "The growth and development of the fishing industry in Nelson Bay" INTERVIEWEES: Alfred John Mitchell George Pain INTERVIEWER~ Julie Tregarthen -- DATE: 22nd August, 1989 Qu~tlull t. What is you full name? Artswe-r Alfred John Mitchell Question 2. When were you born? Answer 1910 Question 3. Where were you born? Answer In New Zealand Question 4. Wh~11 did your family come to this area? Answer My family came to take up farming Question 5. When did your ·involvement with the fishing industry commence? Answer During the Depression 0 Question 6. What were the fishing techniques used at this time? Answer They were beach seine netting, net fishing, cray fishing and trapping Question 7. Could you explain what 'seine fishing' means? Answer Well, it's a hauling net, they shoot around a he~p of fish and its hauled ashore. That is what they call beach seine fishing. Question 8. Where were the fish sent? Answer Mostly to Newcastle and Sydney Question 9. How were they transported? Answer We had our own lorry to transport them in and if we 9ot a real qIDg catch we could hire a lorry for t2/10d. which would take 90 boxes of fish. Question 10. How many boats were in the fishing fleet at this stage? Answer There were very few trawlers although there were a few steam trawlers still active. There were no local trawlers till later on. Question 11. Did you build yourown boat? Answer We built our own boat by hand. Question 12. Was your father involved in the business with you then? Answer Nd, my father had tlied then. My brother was involved and his wife and my wife. Question 13. Did fishing provide a good income? Answer It provided a living. It was a lot of hard work. We had to man handle our fish, strand them along the beach and man handle them along to where our lorry was. Then we loaded them onto the lorry and head for Newcastle. It might be dark when we were going to head off to Newcastle, to find boxes of ice and get rid of them • . • . /2 - 2- Question 14. How did the industry fare during the Depression? Answer The industry fared very bad during the Depression. Prices were very poor indeed. Not much for fish. Down as low as 5s . a box for mullet. Question 15. How many fish would there be in a box? Answer Approximately 60 lb. They weren't weighed in those times, they were just filled level to the top of the box and that was itt Question 16 . What effect did the Second World War have on the fishing industry? Answer Well, when everybody went to the war and there was a bit more of a demand for our fish we got better prices wor •) our mullet and blackfish etc. Question 17. What effect did the destruction of the ice works in 19 38 have? Answer That had no effect at all with us because we " r were not fishing in Port Stephens, we were out at Boat Harbaur, out ort Morna Point fishing at the time. Question 18. · Who were the main Agents you dealt with in Sydney? Answer There was W. Buckland, there was King, Joe Pierce, F-; :'Hanlon and numerous others. Question 19. Were good prices obtained from them? Answer No, prices were very bad in Sydney . We used to try and sell our fish in Newcastle if we could, before the Co-op ~as ~h~ r~: ) Ques t.ilo n 20. · Did you join the t~sb~rmens' Co-op when it was established? Answer Yes, I was onenof the foundation meni>ers of the Co Hoperati ve. Question 21. Was it successful? Answer Yes. We were able to obtain our boxes and ice and store our fish in the coolroom and it was all central, everything was at hand. Question 22. Has the Government played a supportwve role in the growth of the industry in the Bay? Answer Yes . Question 23. How? Answer Oh, well they've helped us with the Co-operative and what have ..you. Question 24. How many boats are in the present fishing fleet? Answer I'd say between thirty and forty boats are in the fishing fleet. Little boats and hand liners and what have you, too numerous· to menti on you know-. Tnere'·s about twenty trawlers there operating out of the Bay along with visitors that come along. -3- Question 25. What are the most common species of fish caught today? Answer Well, mullet and trawled fish and prawns and crayfish are the mainstay of the Co-operative. Question 26. Do you think the construction of an Export Plant in the Bay is warranted? Answer Well, I would.nit like to say on that because !im retired from the fishing industry. Question 27. What sort of a future do you see for the fishing industry in Nelson Bay? Answer I would like to leave that to the fishermen in the industry to give an opinion on that subject. 0 Question 1. What is your full name? Answer George Pain Question 2. When were you born? Answer 1916 Question 3. Whereabouts were you b.orn? Answer Anna Bay Question 4. Why did your family come to this area? Answer They first came here market gardening and then after a short while they went into the fishing and remained in fishing then; my father right up to the ~ime he retired and I was fishing from about the time 11l W-as seventeen. During this period I only had three years away from fishing during the war years. It's fair to say that I 1 ve had a fairly wide experience in the fishing being all that time in it. Questi<m 5. What were the main fishing techniques used at that time? Answer Lobstering was the main fishing, together with travelling fish such as mullet and blackfish and bream during the travelling period. Also trapping for schnapper, but lobsters could be said to be the main source of income. Question 6. Where were the fish generally sent? Answer The biggest proportion went to Sydney because even at the present day the biggest part of the fish would go to Sydney. It's always been that way. This area has always produced more fish than local consumption has 0 a need for. Therefore it is necessary to send it to Sydney. Question 7. How were they generally transported? Answer Usually they were taken by t r uck to Newcastle and then by train to Sydney. Occasionally, trucks did take them down but in the early part it was train to Sydney. Question 8. Was this method of transport efficient? Answer I think as well as could be expected because the railway vans were what they call 'louvre' vans and they appeared to keep the fish in reasonable condition as long as they were well iced. Question 9. How many boats were in the fishing fleet at this time? Answer There were quite a nurrt>er . Probably in the fishermen themselves there would have been probably one hundred and fifty fishermen in this area that is covered by the Newcastle District. Question 10. Did fishing provide a good income prior to the Depression? Answer I think equal to any income that one would expect. There was no fortune in it but at the same time the fishermen did make a 11 ving. I ? -2- Question 11. How did the industry fare during the Depression? Answer The Depression years? Shocking, to say the least. Like everything else, the price of fish you got very little for it. It was just a 'hand to mouth' sort of thing. Not much better than what t>Ji\e .