be an alkaloid. Like Derris, this poison does not affect the taste 

 or edibility of fish, but it is not so generally used as Derris root. 



3. Tephrosia purpurea is a tree, the leaves and bark of which are 

 rarely used to poison fish because they give a disagreeable flavor 

 to the fish. 



4. Sea cucumbers , family Holothuridae, are sometimes pulped for use 

 as a fish poison in the Marshalls. 



JAPAKESE DEVELOPMENT 



Neither the Spanish nor the German regimes which preceded the 

 Japanese could profitably use in their economy the fishery products 

 from iicronesia, and so made no effort to exploit them. Exports 

 consisted of small amounts of Trochus, Trochus niloticus . and pearl 

 oyster, Pinctada margaritif era t shells to the button industry, and 

 a few tortoise shells from Chelonia imbricata . 



Under Japanese mandate, the decade from 1920 to 1930 was one 

 of general inquiry to determine the kinds of marine resources present. 

 Actual production for export to Japan was negligible. Beginning with 

 1930, the tonnage exported to Japan increased steadily until halted 

 by the imminence of war. Highest production of bonito was apparently 

 in 1937, when over 75,000,000 pounds were produced. Insofar as the 

 abundance of fish is concerned, there is reason to believe that pro- 

 duction has not reached a maximum. Exported processed food products 

 consisted chiefly of dried bonito sticks, dried and canned tuna, and 

 trepang (dried sea cucumbers) amounting altogether in 1937 to slightly 

 over 6000 metric tons. Compared with total production in the Japanese 

 Empire, fisheries products from the mandated area were valued at less 

 than two percent. 



The natives had little part in this developing industry. Okinawan 

 fishermen manned the fishing vessels and Japanese operated processing 

 plants and facilities on shore. There is no record of a native crew 

 being permitted to operate a fishing vessel in the offshore fishery. 

 After the outbreak of war, natives were not allowed to go outside the 

 lagoons . 



The Bonito Fishery Euthynnus pelam is Linne, Ocean Bonito, Skipjack, 

 Aku (Haw.), Katsuo (Jap.J - 



Japanese statistics for the bonito catch in the mandated area for 

 1934 to 1941, inclusive, are given in table 1. Minor discrepancies 



19 





