scientific data gathered from these broad sea areas, nor will they have 

 the broad=miadedness to agree with these conclusions^ they thoughtlessly 

 stick to their old customs and still carry on their conservative opera- 

 tions. To put it bluntly, the conclusions of the past were derived from 

 operations in an extremely limited area and they are already inapplicable 

 to operations in the broad areas of today's fisherjo 



(2) The skipjack fishery depends on the skill of individuals^ At the 

 present level of dissemination of practical fisheries knowledge it is 

 difficult to expand a fishery which depends on individual skill, and the 

 development of such a fishery follows an irregular coursso It is diffi- 

 cult to bring about an overall improvement in catches, and the situation 

 gives rise to marked inequalities in fishing success, 



(3) Under present conditions in Japan the area of operation is restricted 

 and limited to the waters within the Mac Arthur Line„ It is difficult to 

 get data with which to assess the situation, and one cannot hope to de= 

 termine in advance the appropriate policies to be followed in any parti- 

 cular year's fishingo For the most part each fishing boat has to rely on 

 its own good or bad luck„ 



(4) This fishery, in comparison with others, can get by with very little 

 materials^ Consequently it is an enterprise most suited to the present 

 conditions of supply in Japan, and is the easiest field of enterprise to 

 enter, with the result that the concentration of new entrepreneurs in it 

 has brought about somewhat disorganized conditionSo 



Section 1 Fishing Gear 



As explained above, the skipjack fishery has followed its own 

 particular course of development in each area and has relied on the skill 

 of individualSo As a result there are many local peciiliarities, but the 

 essentials of both gear and methods do not differ greatly „ 



Paragraph 1 Pole and line gear 



1, Poles 



The material is chiefly long- jointed bamboo produced in the locality 

 vriiere it is used, Gosa n bamboo^ hatake bamboo, and karatake bamboo are 

 widely employed. Requirements for skipjack pole are (a) that the bamboo be 

 straight and that there be no danger of its breaking, (b) that it be stiff j 

 and (0) that the elasticity of the tip be great. 



The dimensions of the pole should be such that it will be thick 

 enough for the user to grasp it firmly with one hand and not too heavy 

 for him to manipulate easily. Strictly speaking, the size of the pole is 

 determined by the strength and sk^ll of the fisherman, and generally 

 skipjack fishing poles are selected and prepared by the fisherman himself. 

 The usual standard for poles is 18 = 20 feet long with a diameter of l,iU 

 to 1,8 inches at the br/rc and 0,6 to 0o96 inches at the tip. In some 

 localities the dimensions of poles used for bait fishing are different 



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