OVEBFIEHIfiG: TRAWUKG FOR SEA ffilEAM (lAI) 



1. If Japan is to i«aintalij a high level of fifheries production In the future, care must be taken 

 to prevent overfishing. An outstanding exanple of the balance between natural production and catch being 

 upset is that of the offshore and overseas catch of sea brean (tal). 



2. Tal is a favorlt-* food fish of Jar^an. It his lonp bfen taken in coastal waters and about 1915 

 became the object of otter trawlers and small motor boat trawlers (kisensokobikl) In waters west of Japan. 

 Complete data are not available for the entire period of this trawl fishing but enough are presented In 

 Table 17 and Figure 10 to show a rapid exhaustion of resources under conditions of continued fishicg effort 

 IS/. 



3-. During 192U-29 good catches were obtained in the East China and Yellow seas, with 192S the peak 

 year of production for snail trawlers ooerating east of longitude 150°E and 1926 the peak -year west of 

 longitude 130°E. For the otter trawlers 1925 was the ynar of highest yield followed by a raold decline 

 after 1930. 



't. Vftth the depletion of the valuable tal resources of these waters, the transfer of Japanese trawl- 

 ing operations to new species and now areas was necessary. 



18/ The number of vessels is given to show that there was a sustained effort, 

 concerning fishing effort (such as the number of hauls) is not available. 



Uore accurate Infomation 



TABLE 17- JAPANESE TRAWLING FOR SEA BREAM (TAI) 0/ 



a/ This does not include all the prodnction of tal as this species is taken by other gear in the 



coastal and offshore waters, 

 b/ The ST^U trawlers, under Jaoanese law, were registered for the area east of 150°E separately froa 

 ~ those west of 150''E. Boats were confined to the area of registry, 

 c/ Tonnage figures for these vessels are not available, but most nf the otter trawlers are about 250 



tons- 

 ND: No data available 



31. 



