1948,11 - 1949,3 

 1949,10- 1950,3 



41 



I 



42 



51 

 I 

 52 



72 LENGTH (CM ) 92 



Figure 1. --Length composition of the albacore. 



show the makeup of the smallest and 

 largest size groups, in 1948-49 and 

 1949-50 the smallest class at 41 cm. 

 included one fish in each of the two 

 periods, the largest class of 1 19 cm. 

 comprised two and four fish respec- 

 tively. Kishinouye (1923) states that 

 for this species, fish of 25 kg. are 

 considered large, and in Japanese 

 and Hawaiian waters fish of 45 kg. 

 probably represent the maximum 

 size. The aforementioned specimens 

 119 cm. in length are estimated to be 

 about 35 kg. in weight and thus are 

 not of the size which Kishinouye pre- 

 sumed to be the maximum. 



Figure 2 shows the size composi- 

 tion of pole-and-line-caught albacore 

 examined in the Misaki Fish Market 

 by Uno (1936a) in May and June of 

 1935. 



The composition is shown by the 

 actual numbers of fish at 1 cm. in- 

 tervals. K this is compared with the 

 size composition of longline-caught 

 fish in figure 1, a marked difference 

 between the two can be detected. 



200 



m 100 — 



50 



Whereas in figure 1 the aforemention- 

 ed 60 to 110 cnn. group is predonni- 

 nant, in figure 2 the fish between 70 

 and 90 cm. predominate. That is, the 

 former is nnade up of a broad range 

 of snnall, medium, and large sizes, 

 whereas the latter is made up of med- 

 ium and small fish and includes hard- 

 ly any large ones. The causes of this 

 difference can be thought to be (a) the 

 difference in fishing method and (b) 

 differences in fishing season and fish- 

 ing ground. In the case of (a) little 

 can be said because there are no data 

 with which to make a direct compari- 

 son, but concerning (b) the following 

 points of difference can be adduced. 

 In longlining the fishing season is 

 from October to March and the fishing 



grounds extend fronn waters adjacent 



- o 



to Honshu out to 170 W. longitude. 



On the other hand, the fish measured 



by Uno were taken during the season 



of May and June and within a •'ange of 



about 250 miles at most from the 



coast of Honshu. Uda and Tokunaga 



(1937) have discussed the relationship 



between albacore fishing conditions 



and oceanographic conditions in this 



95 I 

 I 



96 



LENGTH (CM) 



Figure 2. --Length connposition of the albacore (after Uno 1936a). 



