Figure 17, Equatorial Commercial Fishing. To test 

 the commercial possibilities of the equatorial region, we chartered 

 the West Coast purse seiner, CAVALIERI, to fish on a semi- 

 commercial basis with longline gear in the equatorial Pacific. 

 Although a catch of only48 tons of tuna was realized in 33 days of 

 fishing, we learned that the west coast purse seine boat is readily 

 adaptable to longlining. It was also evident from this trial that at 

 least twice the gear must be fished if we expect an American ves- 

 sel to profit from such a venture. This will prabSibiy require im- 

 provements in the design of the gear and increased mechanization 

 in setting and hauling. 



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