Th« live bait tank aboard tha eklpjaclc vaseel 1b ari Important IteE. It 1b always 

 btillt midBhlps below deck. Circulation of the «ea water through pitching and rolling of the 

 •hip l8 mswio pcBsible by the pretence of Bmall holee in the bottom of the tank hold. In a 

 few boatB the modern type of automatic water circulation has been Installed. 



Tor surfeuse fishing the Japanese have devised the technique of spraying water on the 

 surface of the ocean. It Is claimed that riiffllng the siorface excites the sklpjacka, thus 

 causing them to bite better. The use of the Epraylng technique developed from the early 

 efforts to Improve fishing by beating the surface of the water with a bainbbo stick. Now, 

 howeveri an apparatus for epraylng water from the eldec of the boat Is Installed on every 

 skipjack vesBsl. In the large modern 135-ton boats, a 7-lnch pipe, having nozzles at Inter- 

 tslIs, Is placed on the same level as the fishing platform. When a school Is e^proachnd the 

 spray is turned on, and Its action is- continued for the duration of the fishing. In addition 

 to exciting the skipjack the spray serves to screen the vessel from the fish. 



• 



The skipjack fishing gear (Figures 30 and 21) varies in detailed structure with 

 each locality, although following a similar general pattern. Bamboo poles are used exclu- 

 sively. The line was formerly wire, but now it is generally either an artificial snood made 

 of silk or a sekiyajna (cotton wound around ramie or Japanese hemp). 



The American method, by which two or more poles are attached to a single hook In 

 order to catch fish of large size, is rarely pr<ictic!>d in Japanese waters. The fish taken 

 by surface pole and line angling rarely exceed the size which can be handled by a single 

 T>erson. 



TUNA CAIOH 



1. Qeneral 



The pelagic tnnas occupy a position of major importance In the econonqr of the Japa- 

 nese nation. In quantity abtained they rank behind the sardine, herring, and cod, which are 

 the leading species as regards amount landed in Japan (Sepenshade, 1947, pp 13 and 17). 

 However, the Increasing value of the tunas, both for home consumption and for export trade, 

 hae in the past several decades brought the group to a oommanding position in the fishing 

 industry. In terms of monetary value the tunas are now considered to be, after the sardine, 

 the most valuable JapaJiese marine resource. 



The skipjack, Katsuwonus pelamis, has long been the most Important of the tunas 

 (including spearfishes §7) both as to quantity caught and desirability for home consumption. 

 The amount taken has always exceeded the total production of all remsdning tunas combined 

 (Figure 22). The species is eaten as raw fish (sashiml) or roasted, but its most preferred 

 use is as deled skipjack stick (katsuobushi). About 50 percent of the skipjacks landed in 

 Japan were processed in this manner prior to World War II (compare data for 1936-40, Tables 

 6 and 9). As articles of diet the other tunas also rank high on the list of fish most de- 

 sired by the Ji^anese people and are generally consumed raw. 



Before the recent war the Japanese displayed great energy in their efforts to ex- 

 pand their fisheries for the tunas, not only for home consuiqition but also because certain 

 species were in great demand as frozen or canned export items (Tables 10, 11, and 12). The 

 species most valuable for foreign trade was the albacore ( Thunnus germo) . Almost the entire 

 catch of this fish was shipped abroad in the frozen Btate or as canned white-meat tuna. 

 Smaller quantities of skipjack and swordflsh ( Xlphias gladlue ) were also exported. During 

 the 1930' s the fishery for the yellowfin tuna ( Heothunnug macroptenis ) was in the process 

 of being developed on a large commercial scale, but the possibilities offered by exploitation 

 of this species failed to materialize, mainly because the vessels and fuel required were 

 itama needed for the China war effort and for possible conflict with the United States. 



2. Catch in Japan Proper 



Catch statistics concerning the Gunount of tuna landed in Japanese ports are record- 

 ed for 1908-15 is the Statistical Tearbooks of ths Department of Commerce and Agriculture 



Sj See footnote 2/ P 10 



p-6307 



