United States Department of the Interior, J. A. Krug, Secretary- 

 Fish and vaidlife Service, Albert M. Day, Director 



Fishery Leaflet 273 



Washington 25, D. C. October 194.7 



SURVEY OF THE FISHERIES 



OF THE 



FORMER JAPANESE liANDATED ISLANDS 



By Robert 0. Smith 



Aqiiatlc Biologist, Office of Foreign Activities, 



Fish and Wildlife Service. 



INTRODUCTION 



A. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA 



In evaluating the fisheries resources of the former Japanese Mandated Islands of 

 Uicrcnesia, two facts must be kept in mind. The first is that a relatively small amount 

 of land (902.5 sq. mi.) is widely distributed over a considerable area of the central 

 north Pacific Ocean. The second fact is that we are dealing here with a total native 

 population of only 70,000 people. On a ccmparative scale, the land area is 3A that of 

 Rhode Island and the total native population is about XJL. that of Honolulu. Only by 

 consta itly keeping these two facts in mind can we maintain a realistic approach to the 

 problems involved. 



The Japanese mandate comprised all of the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands, 

 with the exception of Guam, w^.ich had, of course, been United States Territory under the 

 Jurisdiction of a naval governor since the Spanish-American war. These island groups 

 contain more than 2,100 islands and islets of varying sizes, extending over a total area 

 of ocean approximately the size of the United States (see General Map). Tbe native popu- 

 lation is not distributed evenly throughout this area, but tends to concentrate at a few 

 points. 



Vi'e must also avoid a tendency to confuse the Japanese exploitation of the commercial 

 fisheries with the subsistence fishing of the native population. Except in a very few 

 places (Palaus, Saipain, Truk, Ponape) where there was a large Japanese commercial fishery 

 from Wiich small amounts of surplus catch were funneled off to the natives, the basic 

 pattern of native subsistence fishing remains approximately the same now as it did prior 

 to the Japanese mandate. Neither the Spanish nor the German regimes, which preceded the 

 Japanese, could profitably use in their economy the fishery products from Micronesia, and 

 so made no effort to exploit them. Exports were limited to small amounts of trochus, 

 p^arl, and tortoise shells . 



Under Japanese mandate the decade from 1920 to 1930 was one of general inquiry to 

 determine the kinds of marine resources present. Actual production for export to Japan 

 was negligible. Beginning with 1930, the tonnage exported to Japan increased steadily 

 until halted by the imminence of war. Highest production of bonito was apparently in 

 1937, when over 75,000,000 pounds were produced. Insofar as the abundance of fish is 



