Report of Tuna Investigations by the Wakayama Prefecture Research 

 Vessel, Kiyo Maru, in the Timor, Arafura^ and Banda Seas 



1„ Introduction 



With the recent grant of subsidy funds from the Colonial Office to 

 the Nanko Fishing Company for the purpose of investigating the fisheries 

 of the Outer South Seas area 5, the Company employed the Wakayaraa 

 Prefecture research vesselj Kiyo Maru, to carry out a survey in the 

 Timor, Arafura, and Banda seas,, areas which are under foreign domina- 

 tiono I was aboard the vessel during that investigation and will 

 publish herewith the information which was contained in the report 

 submitted to the Colonial Office „ 



2o Outline of the Investigation 



Period of the survey - From June 29., 194lp to July 25, 19A1 - 27 days 



Area surveyed - Timor Sea, Arafura Sea, Banda Sea 



Surveying vessel - Kiyo Maru, research vessel of Wakayama Prefecture, a 



steel vessel of 127„23 gross tons and 220 horsepower. 



Personnel of the sur-vey - Technician Saburo Kawabe^ the captain of the 



Kiyo Maru and 24 men 



Fishing gear used in the s-jrvey = tuna longlines, 230 baskets 



Construction of one basket of gear - trunk line 



of cotton^ 8 ffiomm e to the fathom^ / 1 momme ~ 



cl32 ozo_/ 189 fathoms overall length (7 



pieces joinedj each piece 29 fathoms long) o 



Branch lines of cottonj 9 momme to the fathomp 



2 lines 10 fathoms long; 2 lines 7 fathoms 



long;, 2 lines 6 fathoms longo Sekiyama of 



3x3 strands of wire with eyes in both ends, 



4 fathoms long„ 



Wire leader, 2 fathoms long, 



HookSy 4„86 inches and 3o2 inches long., 



Float lines, cotton, 3 momme to the fathomj, 



15 fathoms long. 



However^ about half of the float lines and trunk 



lines were made of Manila hemp,, / TN; The "fathoms" 



mentioned above are Japanese fathoms, about 5 feet 



longo Hook sizes are the total length from eye 



to point around the curve of the hook. The 



-5-= 



