(1) Fishermen £ tsurikata_/ =•= The largest number of men are assigned 

 to hooking fish„ They are stationed along the fishing platform according 

 to their skillj the old-timers being given the positions at the bow and 

 stern o The most skilfull and strongest young men are stationed at the 

 center of the platforWo This arrangement prevents the school which is 

 coming in to the bait from being frightened away, and raises the efficiency 

 of the fishing cperation„ The other fishermen are stationed between these 

 two groupSo With the whole vessel ready and in the peak of conditionj, 



the disposition of personnel is carefully determined as a prerequisite for 

 making the largest possible catch o 



(2) Chummers ■=- These are the most experienced men in the crew, and 

 they are stationed at the bow and stern and at other strategic pointSo 

 Experience is needed to be able to observe the density of the school and 



the way the fish bite and to know how to throw bait so as to bring the school 

 in to the side cf the boat and hold it there for a long time„ lien fish- 

 ing beginSj the bait is thrown 50 or 60 fish at a time from both the bow 

 and the stern on a large boat or from amidships on a small boat„ There- 

 after bait is thrown continuously in quantities of 5 to 10 fish at a time. 



(3) Bait boys =- Inexperienced youngsters handle the job of supplying 

 bait to each fisherman's bait buckets The number so employed depends on 

 the number of men fishing. 



(2) Hooking skipjack 



(1) Bait fishing 



(a) Baiting the hook 



There are various methods of baiting the hook, all of them 

 designed to lower the vitality of the bait fish as little as possibleo It 

 is necessary that- tao ./lethod used be quick and conveniento Then the school 

 is biting well, th^ nook may be stuck through the back, neck, snout, eye, 

 or from the lower to the upper jaw of the bait fish, all of which methods 

 prevent the bair from swimming freely, and in rare cases a bait fishaay 

 even be cut in two and each half used separately, but ordinarily the hook 

 is stuck . -d^r the clavicle / ccracoid ij/ of the bait fisho 



ib) Hooking the fish 



Each of the fishermen handles one pole„ When the boat has 

 approached the school and bait has been thrown, the way the fish take to the 

 baiv Is observed^ if they take it well, the boat is completely stopped, 

 and the spray pump is set to spraying out sea water in order to increase 

 the effect of the baitc At the same time the hooked bait is dropped into 

 the water and allowed to swim as the pole is manipulatedo The pole is 

 handled in either a standing or a sitting positioHo The latter method is 

 customarily used ir the Kagoshima area, but it detracts from the agility 

 of the fisherman's aiovemer-^ s., although it does give stability to his body. 

 This position is suita>-'' for use when the boat is rolling violently, 

 but in general fishing is done from a standing position « 



56 



