On the Search for Southern Tuna Fishing Grounds 



/ TN„ This paper is taken from a journal of a semi-popular nature and 

 is designed to give persons in the fishing industry a superficial acquaint- 

 ance with the progress of scientific research. Too much reliance should 

 not, therefore, be placed upon the accuracy of the statements and statis- 

 tics contained in it._7 



Introduction 



Recently the South Seas fisheries have suddenly come to be regarded 

 as a problem, and their importance is being emphasized along with the other 

 problems of the South. The newest topic in the field of South Sea fisheries 

 is the southern tuna fishery, and the heart of the South Seas fisheries 

 problem is the remarkable development of the tuna fishery, particularly in 

 equatorial waters. The southward expansion of the tuna fishery is not 

 only an economic problem, arising from its promising character, but like 

 the so-called North Pacific fisheries it also contains a good many 

 political implications. 



The South Seas tuna fishery in recent years 



The promising nature of the South Seas tuna fishery and the rise in 

 the price of fish in Japan have resulted in a sudden expansion, and the 

 number of fishermen from Japan operating in the area has increased 

 remarkably. The number of boats operating in South Sea Island waters 

 during the past three years and the success which they have achieved 

 may be roughly indicated as follows. 



Year Number of Boats Number of Trips Value of Catch Notes 



1938 39 U9 1,600,000 ¥ Oct. 1938 to Mar. 1939 



winter season 



1939 58 137 3,5-^5,970 ¥ July 1939 to June 19^0 



1940 226 226 /?sic7 5,9Uj480 ¥ January to December 



282,124 fish 



An examination of the registry of boats operating in the South Seas 

 fishery by prefectures shows the following results. The majority of the 

 boats have their primary base at Misaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. 



Kanagawa Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Miyagi 

 Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture, 

 Akita Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo District, Aichi Prefecture, Kochi 

 Prefecture, and Tokushima Prefecture. 



Last year, in view of the promise shown by the South Seas fishery, some 

 thought was given to an expansion by the Japanese tuna canning industry 

 into the area. It vras even thought that such a development might take 

 place immediately as a means by which the Japanese canning industry could 



