These experiments make possible the following conclusions: 



(a) It is possible to fish for skipjack at night„ In order to do so, 

 lights (underwater lights) should be used, 



(b) Skipjack either school at night or may be induced to do so by using a 

 light « 



(c) It will probably be convenient to catch skipjack which have been 

 attracted to a fishing light by using a purse seine or a similar type of 

 gear„ 



Paragraph 2 Purse Seining for Skipjack 



Since the end of the war, with the increased propanganda for the 

 extension of the skipjack fishery, the use of purse seines is being 

 seriously studied and attempts are being made to put them into use. 



Plans have been made in the past for taking skipjack with purse 

 seines, but they all ended in failure. There were various reasons for this, 

 but in general, they were the following: 



(a) Insufficient research on the skipjack schools, 



(b) Unsuitable gear and vessels, and a lack of seriousness in carrying 

 out the operation. 



(c) The lack of experience on the part of the personnel in handling the 

 gear and the boats made experimentation almost impossible „ 



A fresh attack on the problem, with the correction of these conditions, 

 is being considered^ This will be based on the purse seine fishery for 

 skipjack and tuna which is achieving splendid results on the California 

 coasto 



The California purse seine fishery is carried on by the largest and 

 best of the sardine purse seiners and the peak of the season is during the 

 three months of June, July, and August„ Since the black tuna purse seine 

 fishery uses the phosphorescence in the water to find the schools, dark 

 nights are chosen for such fishing operations. During the period 6f bright 

 moonli^t, the boats swiftly proceed southward, go around Cape San Lucas 

 at the southern tip of the peninsula of Lower California, and fish for 

 yellowfin and skipjack in the Gulf of California. In either case, tuna 

 are the principal object of the fishery and there are almost no purse 

 seiners which fish exclusively for skipjack. 



The fishing grounds for these boats are centered around Cape San Lucas 

 and are divided into those within the Gulf and those on the Pacific 

 coast of Lower California. As soon as one rounds the Cape and enters the 

 Gulf, the climate changes suddenly.. Within the Gulf, the wind is generally 

 light and the sea is very calm. The schools are mostly mixed tuna and 

 skipjack and large schools of "sleepers" can be seen. It is a good ground 

 for tuna purse seiners and many boats operate there before the black tuna 

 season begins, that is dijring May, and during the light of the moon in 

 the regular season. 



6^ 



