where the water temperatures were h?f;hcr than 21°. On the third cruise tuu 

 currents were generally north and slightly viresterly with speeds of 1 to 1-g- 

 knots. The best catches were obtained where the water color was from 3 to 

 U with a transparency of about 16 to 17 meters and the surface temporatui'e 

 was from 16,5° to 16.8° with a temperature of about 13.8° at the 100-meter 

 level. It was not possible to collect plankton because of damage to the 

 plankton net, but the presence of great quantities of gobies in the bellies 

 of the fish indicated that natural food was fairiy abundant. ■ 



Boobies were extremely abundant and during operations a flock of them 

 could always be seen at the stern of the vessel. 



5. Relation of weather and currents to bait-taking 



During the first cruise the v/ecthor was generally good, but perhaps 

 because of the grounds fished the fish did not bite very v;ell. On the 

 third cruise there were many days of bad weather, the currents were complex, 

 and much difficulty was experienced in operating, however, the albacorr bit 

 very well. The fish were small (.25 to 1.00 kan / 1 kan = 8.27 pounds_7 ), 

 but the schools were very dense. The fish bit best from the third to the 

 eighth trial in the vicinity of stations X 3 and X A. On the sixth trial 

 the highest record of eight fish on one basket of line (9 hooks) was made, 

 and most of the baskets caught two or three fish. Just for our information 

 data were compiled for 50 baskets with the follovdng results: 



Catch ratios per basket 



8 fish per basket 1 basket 

 6 fish per basket 1 basket 

 5 n « II 3 " 



^ H II II ^ II 



3 " " " 16 " 



2 " " " 11 " 



1 " » " 10 " 



Total 50 



II 



6, Method of holding bait, relation of freshness to bait-taking, and table 

 of data on bait 



On the first cruise frozen mackerel, frozen squid, and salted sardines 

 were used for bait. The frozen bait vkis placed in the fishhold and the re- 

 frigeration machinery was operated sufficiently to keep it from melting. 

 The salted sardines were kept in covered boxes stacked in a suitable space 

 on deck with no untoward effects. On the third cruise only frozen mackerel 

 and salted sardines were used. The mackerel may have been inferior to 

 begin mth, but when they were used they were in a low state of freshness, 

 they stayed on the hook poorly, and the fish did not bite well on them. The 

 salted sardines, on the other hand, were of high quality, held the hook 

 well, and were taken well by the fish. 



On the third cruise the frozen mack'-rcl and the salted sardines were 

 used together. A comparison of the success obtained vjith these baits showed 

 that the fish did not bite v/ell on the frozen mackerel. In short, it is 



118 



