Stake or fence traps are not common in the ex-mandate because 

 of the labor involved and the short life of wood or fibers left in 

 sea water continuously. Natives of Yap construct a trap with leads 

 and heart of bamboo. 



On Guam chicken wire of 1 to 1 l/2-inch mesh is used for leads 

 and heart, supported by mangrove stakes. These traps are licensed 

 and give exclusive fishing rights to certain sections of the coast 

 line. A trap examined at Merizo was set 100 yards offshore in four 

 feet of water, with one lead to shore and the other parallel to the 

 shore line and also 100 yards long. The bottom is muddy, and man- 

 groves fringe the shore. The heart of the trap was 6 feet square ^ 

 with the top covered to prevent escape of crabs, especially the 

 Samoan crab, Scylla s errata Forskal. This trap contained two sting 

 rays Dasyatis sp.; 2 Samoan crabs 7 inches across the carapace; three 

 goatfish 8 inches long; and an assortment of 20 small fish under 6 

 inches in length comprising crevalle, Caranx sp ,. moonfish (like 

 Selene sj>.) and spiny puffers, Diodon sp_. It was stated that traps 

 sometimes have as much as 100 pounds of fish for a day's haul. 



Hoop or fyke nets were not seen and natives did not recognize 

 them from a description. 



Basket traps were common on atolls of the Carolines . They may 

 be made of bamboo, vines or split wood according to local availability. 

 Figure 18 shows a Kapingamarangi model, roughly 18 inches square at 

 the ends by 30 inches long. The catch is small reef fish and eels. 



Use of Poisons .-Historically, the natives of Micronesia knew how 

 to use poisonous plants and animals for stupefying fish. Present 

 generations also have this knowledge but the method is not now widely 

 practiced because Japanese conservation measures strictly forbade it. 

 At present, almost every fisherman of Kusiae and Ponape (Carolines) 

 carries a supply of derris root in his canoe, and at Majuro (Llarshalls) 

 sea cucumbers are occasionally used, but elsewhere poisons were not 

 observed, though it is not assumed that they were never used. The 

 common poisons are listed below. Regardless of the kind, the method 

 consists in pounding or macerating the poison and dropping it into 

 caverns or quiet pools along the outer reef. Destruction of immature 

 fish is severe. 



1. Derris eliiptica is a vine, the root of which is cut into short 

 lengths and folded into a bundle containing 6 to 8 feet. It may be 

 used fresh or dried. Because of its wide distribution and ease of 

 handling, it is the most popular of the fish poisons. The active 

 principle is rotenone. 



2 . Barringtonia racemosa and asiatica ,is an attractive shade tree 

 sometimes planted along native and Japanese streets. The trees are 

 20 to 25 feet tall and grow naturally near the water's edge. Fruits 

 are large, sometimes over A inches in diameter. Only the kernel of 

 the dried nut is used for poison. The active principle is said to 



17 



