But I don’t think there was one successful entanglement of a White Shark that was recorded over there. The watch house on top of Taiaroa Head, they were watching us, local shipping guys gave us a "Get out of the road, there’s a ship coming out of the harbour." CRAWFORD: What was the water depth that these nets were fished in? We found we would do better with just a 2 metre wide trace and a heavy monofilament. Certainly the tide is flowing in, the water goes around it. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is used extensively to produce high-quality, clear and accurate plans that enable projects to be completed efficiently and with certainty, minimizing costly on-site delays and contract variations. What do you know about the distribution and abundance of Dolphins in the region? LEWIS: Just large fish, finning in the water, swimming through. A big net of fish lying there was an attraction. Whether it had ... you know a weak point? He was a fisherman out of Port Chalmers. But you know, even if you go back in the historical records, there are similar pictures of old fellows with a sailing ship in the background. LEWIS: Yes. CRAWFORD: Can you explain your thinking on that? No, I’ve never seen a Shark around the Dolphins. I believe the White Sharks are here at Otago because of the marine mammal population and the fish and that. Not longline. LEWIS: Fairly substantial, I reckon. LEWIS: Very, very few. But there have been stories of the large Shark following at a distance behind a boat. What are they doing up there? CRAWFORD: Tell me about the berley. LEWIS: Anywhere from 3-4 metres from the surface, because the birds were a pain in the backside. “If you want one, you go and get your bloody own” - which annoyed me. The berley was the catalyst to the whole thing. And we’d have the trout fishing. LEWIS: The same boats in those days were rugged. CRAWFORD: I'm sure you did. They also fished for Garfish, but it was seasonal. But look, I’m pretty sure that if a Shark, just again, it's only anecdotal, that if a White Shark decides that he is going to investigate you, the sheer bulk and size and nature doesn’t mean it’s a gentle thing. LEWIS: Absolutely. A substantial hook, you know? Increasing freight costs were making it uneconomic to service FMI’s South Island customers, says Lewis. We started putting setnets around some of the rocky areas to get some Moki and Greenbone, and later on into Ruge and Elephantfish or Spotted Gummy Shark. If you’re fast, you've got the fish further back. LEWIS: The offal chute which was there - probably 75-100 metres to the harbour. But there were also national titles, international titles? It was probably only for about three or four minutes. LEWIS: The other one was up here at the Dangury fishery. View Warren Lewis’ profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Boat Crew: Warren Lewis / Chris Hanley. CRAWFORD: That specific set of fish became your focus? The hatcheries and the smolt releases. That these fish did not take long to turn up. Warren Paul LEWIS is from NEW ZEALAND and is, or was, associated with the company: FAIRVIEW METAL HOLDINGS LIMITED. LEWIS: Just lay up, you know? It had been done quietly, but never to the degree of madness that we took it. Fishing for Blue Cod and Groper. LEWIS: Most of the Shark fishing with my own vessel was around the Otago Peninsula, but we also we were trailer-borne. CRAWFORD: Any instances when you personally encountered a White Pointer in the harbour? Salmon was referred to as canneries. LEWIS: Because of our drift out there brought the fish right in. The more berley you put out, the more bait you put out, the more chances you’re going to get a Shark. And if you got a bit of movement, your baits would naturally come to the surface. For a long time, we were not associated with any club. But it depends on the time you spend on the harbour, and the observations you make. This is more off the [Taiaroa] Heads, because it was a bigger boat. Then you carry on. There was none of this line carry-on. All in accordance with the regulations. They weren’t just a fine suspended wall. And behind the boat was this big Shark, you could define the Shark. LEWIS: Absolutely. He described the actual oars on my uncle’s boat being physically knocked into the air. LEWIS: If the fisherman had time to do it. The upwellings from these canyons, and the proximity here of the deep water, reflected on our ability to catch the Sharks. And then what’s to stop these Sharks swimming 50 to 100 m on a flood tide, and swimming into the harbour? CRAWFORD: I’ve heard from Stewart Island that it was such an unusual thing to see a Seal, it would be cause for an attraction. CRAWFORD: Did you do this in conjunction with a researcher? LEWIS: When they hooked the fish, now the drum does go down. 63/64/65. These Sharks used to follow him up after fishing Flounder. These come in huge numbers. 1-3). It’s 9-11 metres maximum up through there. CRAWFORD: Based on your experience, along with your uncles, and the fisherman that was running the nets - was it your understanding that the holes in the nets were actually caused by Sharks that were not captured? CRAWFORD: On your vessel, typically how many lines would you be running? There’s the historical context, in terms of how far back these stories go. I have cousins who are older than my father. LEWIS: We started going to the other side of the harbour, and went down to the peninsula side, going further afield. They used to drive the trucks all out there, and fire it over the cliff. They just flushed it directly? There have been about 10 reported sightings since the 1990s and MPI aren't ruling out a case of mistaken identity, but Ms Kavanagh, an entrepreneur and hotelier, said she knows what she saw. CRAWFORD: And you reckoned the barrel was still intact? In those days, we were able to dispose of a few Flounders here to the shop, and got pocket money to buy fuel to enable us to go a little bit further next time. Do you think that the White Pointers at the Otago Peninsula are a resident population, or do you think that they are here for a period of time, and then move on in a different season? Fishing at high tide when the tide came in. LEWIS: Well, I think before there was accidental bycatch, longlining and stuff like that. LEWIS: Well, they were just so aggressive. As I said, my father’s cousins who were all … it was just part of their thing. LEWIS: Yeah. LEWIS: Three years ago, I sold my sports fishing boat. But the lower harbour has good natural deep water, a wide channel, deep basins. The only finisher in the 400 class was HiJinx from Auckland. CRAWFORD: With regards to sport fishing, was it still the same vessel? LEWIS: Yes, very much seasonally. LEWIS: Perhaps water quality in those days. LEWIS: Well, we presumed it was. And the shallowness of the channel. We were all heading down the same area, and we all just looked at it. If the bait was too shallow, the Shearwaters and the Albatross would be diving on your baits. Patience was the essence. Wasn’t terribly high - like a Dolphin. Just chew right through. CRAWFORD: Let's focus on that. Whatever it was - was very, very large. Warren Lewis returned to FMI Racing following his retirement two years ago convincingly winning, Placemakers Pakuranga and GJ Gardner Manukau Thunder on the Coast 2015 with Andrew Koolen, at Beachlands in Auckland. Line suspended out the back, on balloons at various depths, and copious quantities of berley and fish offal. We were armed, and had a pocket full of ammunition. CRAWFORD: Or heard about it from a reliable source? Given the sensory system of the Shark. At the same time, three of them. As the expertise grew, and the success rate grew, and a bit of persuasion from some people to look up the Tautuku Fishing Club. 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