434 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



are the comparative lightness of the weight used and the stem of bamboo used for 

 keeping the mouth of the trawl open. The former circumstance is due to the fact 

 that this trawl is used on muddy bottoms. The purse is about 14 feet long, and the 

 wings are about 18 feet in length. The meshes are a little less than half an inch in 

 the posterior part of the purse, and from half an inch to a little over live-eighths of 

 an inch in the remaining portion. The drag rope is from 300 to 400 feet long. This 

 trawl is worked under a good wind, and two or three are usually attached to a single 

 boat containing two men. 



The lobster gill net is a hempen net sunk to the bottom for catching the spiny 

 lobster. It is about 35 feet long and only about 3 feet wide. The meshes are 1 or 2 

 inches. A single boat usually carries two men, and uses several dozens of nettings 

 joined into a single net, to one end of which are then tied a stone and a float. The 

 whole is then sunk in the evening in rocky places 10 to 50 feet deep, and taken out 

 the next morning. 



Prawn pots are used in Lake Biwa in the province of Omi. They are made 

 of bamboo splints. At the entrance is a funnel-shaped piece with its smaller end 

 projecting into the interior, so that any shrimp that has once entered it can not get 

 out. When being used, dozens of these traps are tied to a long rope, and crushed 

 shellfish (Corbicula or Paludina) are put within each; then the whole is sunk to the 

 bottom. They are taken out from time to time and the shrimps are caught. 



Among the important preparations from this class are canned spiny lobster and 

 shelled shrimp. Canned lobster is made after the manner of the boiled lobster of the 

 Americans; one dozen 1 pound cans cost 1.20 yen. Shelled shrimp consists of the 

 boiled bodies of Peneus canaliculata and P. ensis which have been deprived of their 

 shells. About 300,000 yen's worth is produced annually. It is one of the chief exports 

 to China. 



UTILIZATION OF ALG^K. 



Among the seaweeds found on the coasts of Japan there are several having con- 

 siderablee conomic value, of which the chief are amanori (Porphyra vulgaris), tengusa 

 (Gelidium comeum), funori (Glceojieltis coliformis), and fukuro-fonori ( Q. intricate). 



The first named grows near the mouths of rivers in various parts of Japan. It is 

 cultivated on a large scale in the bay of Tokio. About the time of the autumnal 

 equinox, branches of bamboo and of various trees are stuck into the bottom of the 

 sea, and the seaweed is allowed to grow on them, the fronds being cut away from the 

 top as they grow. The alga wholly dies away about the time of the vernal equinox. 

 The article prepared for commerce is known as asaikusa-nori and is highly esteemed 

 both for food and as a condiment. The weed is but seldom eaten fresh and nearly 

 always is made into thin sheets like paper, and dried for preservation. This is heated 

 over the fire and eaten with broth, or by itself with a little sauce. It is also used for 

 various other culinary purposes. One hundred sheets cost from 50 sen to 1 yen. 



The Gelidium grows on the coasts of various parts of Japan, on rocky bottoms, at 

 a depth of from about 10 to 125 feet. It grows in clusters and is never found in bays 

 that have no open communication with the ocean. It is said to germinate in early 

 spring and die away in autumn. The best harvesting season is summer. A jelly is 

 made from this species which is largely used both for food and as glue. It has also 

 recently come to be used for purifying sake, or Japanese wine. Added to the already 



