bays where the waves do not come directly in from the oceano These 

 pounds are made of palm fiber netting with a fine mesh„ The meshes are 

 very small so that i7?ashi 1„2 to 2oU inches long will not get stuck in 

 themj and the water circulates well through the net providing a thorough 

 natural changing of the water which is a requisite for holding bait. The 

 size of the pounds varies, there being no particular standard, but they 

 are commonly about 9 feet by 9 feet by 6 -- 12 feet„ They are made with 

 wooden frames over which the web is stretched like a bago These pounds 

 are set out in the water in large numbers for the purpose of keeping 

 baito 



(1) The capture of iwas_hi for bait 



Various types of gear are used, each locality having its own pecu- 

 liar gear„ There are some types of gear which are specialized for use 

 in taking iwashi for bait, and in other cases gear designed for other 



fisheries is used as convenient„ 



One of the kinds of specialized gear is a small-scale set net 

 (commonly called a crystal net £ s-aishoami_/ or machine net £ kiVaiaiT:i_y') 

 which is set in bays across the paths of migration of the iwashi as the 

 skipjack season approacheSo Iwashi which enter the heart of the trap 

 are carefully taken out with dipnets in such a way as not to injure 

 or weaken them and are placed in bait scows or live=poundSo They are 

 then kept in the live-pounds in quiet waters as described above „ Iwashi 

 which enter large trap nett; and other types of fishing gear are also kept 

 for bait in the same manner „ In addition i\yashi taken in purse seines, 

 lift nets, and stick-held dip nets are also held for baito 



(2) How the fish are kept in the live-pounds 



It is essential from the start to accustom skipjack bait to swimming 

 in a confined spacso In other words, it is necessary to take fish which 

 have been swimming about in a broad expanse of water and, for convenience 

 in handling, conr.-i-utrate them densely in a cramped space,, If the space 

 in which the fisxi can swim is suddenly cut down, many of thera will die 

 so it is important to set up live^pounds of various sizes and gradually 

 accustom ths bait to smaller and smaller oneSo Iwashi at the time of 

 capture are referred to as '♦wild bait Z"araesa7" or "wild iwashi /" arajwash i?". 

 After the^' have become accustomed to captivity they are called "tame 

 iwashi ^ iketsuke iT>ashi 7" . For keeping a dense school of fish in a 

 small space the live-pound should be set up where there is quite a bit 

 of current, and in order not to lower the vitality of the bait a quiet 

 spot sheltered from the waves and not subject to fluctuations of tempera- 

 ture and water composition should be selectedo It is also necessary to 

 provide suitable shade and to guard against attacks by predatory birds 

 and fisho When the bait is to be held for a long tirne^, suitable food must 

 be provided to deep up their vitality, and dead fish must be removed in 

 order to avoid the bad effects of decompositiono 



(3) Supplying the bait t:, the fishing boats 



38 



