DECEMBER 

 General 



In December the albacore fishing conditions become even more 

 active than in November. The fishing grounds in the North Pacific are 

 generally extended to the south and reach the line of 30 N. , running 

 east and west with a breadth from 30 N. to 40 N. The fishing grounds 

 in this region not only extend themselves southward, but also westward 

 and approach the waters off northeastern and east central Honshu, West 

 of 150°E. the fishing grounds also extend to the southwest, and their ad- 

 vance extremity reaches the vicinity of the waters east of the Izu Islands 

 around 27 N. 



The Okinotorishima fishing ground is also more active than it was 

 in November, and the grounds are extended to the southwest, reaching 

 the line of 130 E. longitude. 



The most noteworthy thing in this month is the clear appearance 

 of signs of the formation of fishing grounds in the Kinsui Sea Area, where 

 there were no signs at all of such development in Novennber. This fish- 

 ing ground gradually increases in activity from January on, spreads south- 

 ward, and overlaps the northern part of the Okinotorishima grounds, but 

 the fish taken in Kinan are small and are clearly of a different character 

 from those of the Okinotorishima grounds. 



In South Sea waters there are scattered areas with rather high 



o o 



catch rates. Particularly in the area of 130 E. to 140 E. , there are 



o o o o 



somewhat concentrated catches. At 1 1 N, to 13 N. , 172 W. to 173 W, , 



there is even a catch rate of 2. 5, showing possibilities for a considerable 



catch in this region. In the various sea areas west of 130 E. , including 



the Indian Ocean region, hardly any albacore are taken, with only a 



small catch reported from the central part of the South China Sea. 



1. North Pacific Area 



Compared with November, the fishing grounds have extended 



southward by 3 to 4 of latitude, ajid their southern extremity is at 



o 

 30 N. or, in places, below that line. The grounds have extended not 



only southward but also westward, and in the west they also show a 



tendency to extend southwestward, so that they are broadly continuous 



over the area of approximately 140 E. to 180 . 



In general the catch rates show high values, particularly high 

 east of l60 E. , in which region the majority of the unit areas have catch 



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