•187- 



Fishing effort in the Japanese pole-and-1 ine fishery between 50 N 

 and 30°S latitude and 110°E and 150°W longitude increased from 37,761 days 

 fished in 1970 to 76,007 days fished in 1977 (Figure 4). 



I.e. Value of Catch 



From 1969 to 1978, the mean annual ex-vessel price of skipjack tuna 

 at Yaizu, one of the important tuna landing ports in Japan, ranged from 

 $291 to $797 per short ton; the ex-vessel value of skipjack tuna in Hawaii 

 during 1968-1977 ranged from $330 to $957 per short ton^ (Figure 5). 

 Except for slight setbacks in 1972 and 1978, the ex-vessel prices at Yaizu 

 have been on a continuous upward trend. Based on the average ex-vessel 

 price of $797 per short ton at Yaizu, the western Pacific catch of skipjack 

 tuna (532,296) in 1978 was valued at $467,639,750. 



I.D. Current Management of the Fishery 



The western Pacific skipjack tuna stock is not currently under 

 management. 



II. NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF U.S. AND FOREIGN 

 PARTICIPATION IN THE FISHERY 



The U.S. imported 61,046 mt of skipjack tuna for "consumption and 

 general imports" in 1976 from western Pacific countries and island states 

 (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1977). U.S. tuna interests operate freezing and 

 transshipping facilities at Palau and Tahiti and conduct exploratory 

 cruises to the western Pacific in search of new sources of tuna. 



Hawaii Division of Fish and Game. Commercial fish catch by species. 

 State of Hawaii. (Issued monthly; also annual summaries.) 



