OFFSHORE FISHERnS 



1. Offshore fisheries began to be important about 1915. concooitant with the development of power 

 fishing boats. From the ccmparatlvely insignificant amount of about itJ.OOO metric tons in 1915, average 

 annual production increased to about 768,000 metric tons during 19}l-3g. Peak production was 975,000 tons 

 in 1956 (Table 7) 10/. 



2. Production of these fisheries was greatly curtailed after 19ii2, owing to the requisitioning of 

 boats by the navy, the limited supplies of gasoline and oil for fishing boats, the unfavorahle prices for 

 the seller under price control, and, in the last year of the war, fear of bombs and submarines. In 19L5 

 production was reported as 297,000 tons, or about 39 percent of the 1931- JS annual average. 



3. The population of fish in the waters utilized in these fisheries is sufficient to support a catch 

 as great and perhaps slightly greater than prewar production, assuming that the sardine run returns to its 

 prewar magnitude. The catch from small motor boat trawling (kisensokobiki) was probably at the peak of 

 sustained production in 193it-35> but the bonlto and tuna operations and possibly the purse seining for 

 pelagic species can be intensified. Even though the average yield may be increased, fluctuations in pro- 

 duction can be expected because sardines, which constitute a large proportion of the catch, are subject to 

 wide variations in population (see section on "The Importance of Sardinos and Herring In Jacanesc Fisheries). 



10/ The peak production of 1956 is closely related to the exceptionally large catch of sardines in that 

 year (see section on "The Importance of Sardines and Herring in Japanese Fisheries"). 



TABLE 7. -PRODUCTION OF IMPORTANT SPECIES 



(metric tons) 



FROM OFFSHORE FISHERIES 



a/ kay be Included In m-ocLctlon or 'Otharc" 



6/ Included In prnrhjrtlon of coastal fisy.erles (sar Table }) 



c/ Mar Include "ToHuct'on from trairllng 



17 



