20 



Oyster and nori culture form most important branches of experiment 

 as there are immense areas along the coast suitable for their growth 

 but at present unutilized. It is usual for Grovernment to assign special 

 experiments to certain stations ; such as the improvement of boats, 

 the development of the preserving industry as regards particular fish 

 or methods, and so forth, while certain classes of experiment, chiefly 

 culture, are carried out by all stations. 



36. The stations are also reminded that there are three aspects of 

 their work ; (1) industrial experiment which must be shown to be 

 profitable, (2) the instruction of the public in industrial methods 

 found beneficial, (3) scientific investigation, e.g., into the fauna and 

 flora of the waters and into bionomics in general. Another duty is 

 the distribution of ova. spat, fry, etc., to the public. 



37. At a recent council of the Directors of the several stations, 

 Fishery School officers, and other Fishery officials — in all seventy-nine 

 persons — the following matters were discussed and suggestions made 

 to Government : — - 



(1) Since very little advantage has been taken of the law for 

 encouraging (by bounties) distant deep-sea fishing (36 boats in 1905), 

 it was suggested («) to send round officers of the department to 

 explain in the various fishing centres the advantages of the law ; {h) 

 to educate leading fishermen (in navigation ?) and to enlist young 

 men for special training at the stations in the handling of large boats 

 and deep-sea methods (the law provides for this) ; (c) that new boats 

 should only be built by experts who have built similar boats ; {d) that 

 the duty of experimenting in deep-sea fishing and the treatment of 

 fishes caught far out at sea should be specially entrusted to particular 

 stations; {e) that the training of students should be undertaken after 

 consulting the Department; and (/) that when deep-sea fishing has 

 been found successful, prefects should specially investigate the condi- 

 tions of such fisheries (presumably to ascertain the causes of success). 



■'2) In investigating with a view to pisciculture, the most careful 

 preliminary enquiries as to methods, locality, suitable products, cost, 

 markets, etc., are to be ascertained. 



(3) The encouragement of thrift among the fishermen was set 

 forth as a matter of the first importance ; by such means as the 

 promotion of credit associations (interest charged by capitalists is 

 very high in Japan) and indigenous societies (" Tanomoshiko '') for 

 furnishing capital for members for boats, nets, gear, harbours and 

 wharfs, etc., instruction in a proper account system, the introduc- 

 tion of regulations favouring savings deposits, co-operative savings 

 banks, etc. 



(4) Improvements in transportation, namely by cheapening ice 

 for fish refrigeration, spreading information as to the proper use of ice 



