the Japanese found it necessary to obtain additional supplies of fish 

 by using explosives on the reefs, a practice which not only reduced 

 food fish but also bait fish. 



Post-war Status of the Bonito Fishery . -Beginning shortly after 

 the Japanese surrender, both Japanese and Okinawan civilians, in- 

 cluding fishermen, were repatriated. The last to leave were Okinawan 

 fishermen from Tinian about mid-June, 1946. Since few natives were 

 familiar with the Japanese or Okinawan fishing methods, with shore 

 facilities damaged beyond repair, with fishing vessels subject to 

 salvage and in most cases major hull and engine reconditioning, it 

 is not surprising that there has been no revival of the industry 

 in spite of the ready market for dried bonito in Japan. 



The one exception to the above general condition has been 

 at Saipan, where shortly after the invasion Lt. Q. M. Taggart, USNR, 

 salvaged four sunk Japanese fishing vessels and started them produc- 

 ing bonito with Japanese crews. By the time the Japanese were repa- 

 triated, two native crews were able to carry on using Japanese methods. 

 Since these methods have proven successful they will be described later 

 in considerable detail, as it is believed that they must be the basis 

 for redevelopment of bonito fishing in native hands. There can be 

 no question of the ability of natives to own and operate modern 

 diesel-powered fishing vessels up to 75 feet in length, and many 

 native fishermen at Koror, Ponape, Kusiae and in the Llarshalls have 

 expressed a desire to do so. 



Notes on the Improbab j lity of Trading with the Japanese .-A basic 

 function of the fisheries portion of the Economic Survey was to deter- 

 mine not only what resources existed, but also how they might be 

 utilized far increasing native income. The existence of large quan- 

 tities of bonito around the ex-mandate was already known, and when 

 it became obvious that natives were capable of engaging in the fish- 

 ery with skill and energy, there seemed no reason why immediate 

 steps should not be taken to produce and export dried bonito to 

 Japan where, according to report, a serious shortage of seafoods 

 existed. Also it was learned that there were already in Japan, 

 stockpiles of such necessary items as diesel engine replacements, 

 bait netting, hooks and other fishing gear with which to outfit a 

 number of sunk Japanese fishing vessels which could be salvaged 

 and repaired at relatively small expenditure of time and money. 

 The problem was particularly urgent because as a result of the 

 war, the natives were not as well off under United States admin- 

 istration as they had been in the pre-war years under the Japanese. 

 It was felt that every effort should be made to increase native 

 income at the earliest possible moment to balance higher prices 



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