pursuit of schools of fish which may b« encountered in depths up to 20 

 or 30 fathoms during the migration period. This net is composed of two 

 lengths of about 150 fathoms each which are joined together. The depth 

 of the net is from 25 to 35 fathoms. Each length is put aboard a large 

 row boat with six oarsmen. On the bottom bolt-rope, which is weighted 

 with lead, are attached numerous metal rings of a diameter of 15 centi- 

 meters, through which is passed a rope of which one end is in each of the 

 two boats. The boats, towed by a motor boa-, move to the head of the 

 advancing school of fish and start setting the net while each boat advances 

 in a direction opposed to the other one, forming each a semi-circle around 

 the fish and when the boats get olose to each other again the surrounding 

 of the fish has been accomplished. Then the rope passing through the 

 rings is pulled by each boat, thus closing the net at the bottom. 



Since 1936 this type of net has been used for catching inactive 

 pelamid and bonito at depths of 40 to 50 fathoms by employing an innova- 

 tion which consists of a powerful electric lamp attached to a battery 

 lowered into the sea by insulated cable. This lamp is lit immediately 

 after the surrounding movement has been accomplished so as to oblige the 

 fish to attempt to escape by going upwards instead of going towards the 

 bottom, and allow the necessary time for the closing of the lower part of 

 the net. 



The fish traps used to catch pelamid and bonito consist of a 

 large parallelogram of nets usually 20 to 30 fathoms wide and 100 to 110 

 fathoms long, closed at the bottom to form a large pocket. The parallelo- 

 gram of nets is held in place by poles fixed to the bottom of the sea and 

 further strengthened by cables attaohed to anchors. Outside the parallelo- 

 gram another straight large-mesh net joins the trap to the ooast barring 

 the passage of fish between the trap and the coast. By means of blocks, 

 a 30 fathom length of one side of the net forming the parallelogram is 

 lowered to the bottom leaving an entrance for the fish. Two other nets, 

 each on board a row boat placed at either side of the entrance, are used 

 to surround the schools which may be hesitating to enter the trap. 



Processing, Sale, and Consumption 



Pelamids and bonito are consumed locally or exported fresh, 

 salted, canned or smoked* Usually, it is the fish in the autumn and 

 winter that are prooessed. Fish caught during the spring season are 

 consumed fresh or may be canned, since the fish a~e lean during this 

 season. 



Trade estimates place the amount of bonito and pelamid which 

 were salted during the year 1948 at about 120 tons. This figure is much 

 lower than that of the war years when the abundance of fish and demand 

 from foreign countries allowed the salting of 2,000 metric tons in one 

 year. 



Exports of pelamid and bonito during 1948 are said to have 

 amounted to almost 90 percent of the total amount fished. The bulk of 

 exports being in the fresh form, the amount smoked barely reaches 50 tons 

 annually and is entirely consumed locally. 



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