horsepower were used with good results, and the summer skipjack fishing 

 season came to occupy a position of iraportanceo 



Thus in the period of the fishery in adjacent waters mobility was 

 added to the elements which had developed during the period of the coastal 

 fishery^ Tftis was a time of preparation for the gradual shift to the era 

 of the fishery in distant waterSj, and great forward strides were made 

 within a few years" time. This period has a very important significance 

 because of the advancement of the techniques which have led to the present 

 state of development of the skipjack fishery. 



Section 3 The Period of the Fishery in Distant Waters 



When the engines which had been installed daring the period of fish- 

 ing in adjacent waters had passed through their experimental phase, they 

 entered upon the period of their active employment, and during the Showa 

 Era / 1926 to present_7 the fishery in distant waters developed. Now the 

 skipjack fishery took on an aggressive character, and instead of waiting 

 for the migrations of the fish as they had before the fishermen began 

 actively to seek the schools in distant seaSc, Fortunately,, because of 

 Japan's freedom from foreign entanglements, the fishing fleets were able 

 to find bases of operations in distant waters anywhere they pleased, and 

 there were no obstacles of any sort to the establishment of the industry. 

 The skipjack fishery thus entered upon its golden age„ 



At this time vessels began to operate from the coasts of Japan to 

 distant Taiwan and the South Seas, and as a result the fishing season was 

 freed of its natural limitations,, Year-round fishing became possible, 

 methods of handling and storing the catch were rapidly improveds, the 

 limitations on days of operation were greatly relaxed, and it became 

 possible to make long voyage So 



At the same time scientific studies of the migrations and habits of 

 the skipjack irere advanced, and the methods of f|.shing, which hitherto had 

 been based on personal experience and observation, were rationalized, so 

 that anyone, even without long experience in the fishery, could engage in 

 it with comparative ease and a fair degree of succesSo In addition the 

 wide dissemination of navigational techniques and the construction of 

 stronger -cessels contributed to the progress of the skipjack fishery, 



(1) Kag; shisna area 



^ishing vessels are from 50 to 260 tons, with the average about 100 

 ton~. Crews number 20 to 80 menj, and the fishing grounds extend over a 

 radius of 2,000 miles to the South Seas, Taiwan, Celebes, and BorneOo 

 The main fishing grounds are from the Satsunan Shichito to the vicinity 

 of the Yaeyama Chain, and the fishing season is all the year rounds 



(2) Kochi area 



The fishing boats .n this area are comparatively small and operate 70 

 to 100 miles off Maroto Saki and Ashizuri Saki, The fishing season is from 



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