Bait 



The only suitable bait fish at this island are flyingfish and iwashi 

 / sardine-like fishes_^. The flyingfish are taken in large numbers out- 

 side of the lagoon ne?,r the barrisr reef, while the i'mshi live in the 

 rr.angrove areas and are easily taken vvith thro?; nets. 



Catch 



'Ihe catch is of the sam.e general composition all around the Island. 

 Yellowfin ar-e the -^.ost nunerous element with comparatively small ones 

 being taken in the upper layers and larger or_es at greater depths. For 

 this reason more fish vieve taken on the long branch lines. 



In this fishery fev/ fish are taken exept at dawn and around sunset 

 or in rainy weather. Near the outside of the barrier reef there are many 

 dog-tcothed tuna, but none were taken on the longlines. There are sxall 

 tuna rixpd in \?ith the surfaced skipjack schools off shore (ascertained 

 by trolling^ 



This experimental fishing was done in conjhinction with a shark fish- 

 ing investig' tlon. Sharks viere taken at every set and there ?>ras also some 

 dan'.age to the tunr. from shark-bite. 



Table of Fishin>; Data 



This covers the fishing done during 1928. 



Shark Fish^^ry Investigation 



The natives do not regard the shark as a h.armful fish and conse- 

 quently hardly any ar? taken. Ho"^evc-^, in the period o" Ger"'an rule th.e 

 natives were taught hoT to prepare shark fins, and it is said th' t at the 

 ti'-^e nf our occupation of t'le islands there was q-iite a quantity of ore- 

 pa^ed fins in possession of the Jaluit Company. These are thought to have 

 been taken by the natives of the out.lying islands rather than by the 

 oeoole 0^ Ponape itself. In thf native lantju.age the sharks are called 

 pako . They are of the kin 1 called hirarashira /_ Scoliodon 3p._/ by the 

 Japanese and occr abundantly alon^ t'le shores. D-^ring trolling and 

 longlinc operations they steal t'-^e catch and are sometimes caught them- 

 selves. 



Fishing Gear 



No specially designed gear v/as used in these tests v/Vich v/e-^^-: run in 

 conjunction '.Tith the tuna Icngline fishing e::perii'-ents. The gear and 

 methods are therefore the saine as those used in the tuna investigation. 



Flyingfish Fishi^-ry Investigation 



Pi ir pose 



This experiment was made principally to supply bait for longline 



29 



