only loior black surgeon fish, approximately seven inches long, and one large-eyed red 

 squirrel lish ( Myripristis sp.) eight inches long, although the time required to send the 

 net was an hour and a half. In two hours of diving along the fringing reef inshore three 

 divers obtained five black-lipped oysters of a diameter of six inches. One of them con- 

 tained a tiny baroque pearl of no value, "'e also found large pinna shells of genus Atrina 

 quite common. The auductor muscle is large and similar to that of the ocean scallop. 

 However, it is not eaten by the natives although it has a very good flavor. One of these 

 Atrina shells had six tiny black pearls, approximately 1/6/; inch in diameter. V.'e also found 

 a number of sponges, which are native to the area and are used by the local population in 

 place of towels after bathir^. These sponges are of cylindrical shape, with a lai^e central 

 cavity. The outer walls are from 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, with sections branching from the 

 main stem approximately 12 to Li indies in length. A sample of this sponge was brought 

 back to determine^ whether or not it might have a commercial value. Since these sponges 

 seem to grow very well, there should be no reason why the culture of more desirable species 

 could not be undertaken. 



Every native canoe carries several bunches of derris roots ( Derris elliptica ) to be 

 used in poisoning fish. The natives pound the roots to a pulpy mass and then thf'ow the 

 whole thing into holes and caverns on the inside edge of the reef. This is a wasteflil kind 

 of fishing, as even very small fish are narcotized and are destroyed without being of any 

 use, although at the present time the natives keep even small fish three to four inches 

 long. TOiile on the subject of poisons, it may be said that barringtonia ( Barringtonia 

 racemosa and asiatica ) occurs at Ponape, but is not commonly used by the natives as a fish 

 poison, although its use is known. Tephrosia ( Tephrosia purpurea ) also occurs here and 

 its use as a fish poison is known to the natives, but they do not use it as they say it 

 gives the fish a bad flavor. 



It was surprising to find no native jigs made of pearl shell body with tortoise shell 

 barbless point such as were common at Kapingamarangi and Nukuoro. It was stated that the 

 Ponapeans did not make these and did no trolling until steel hooks were introduced by 

 traders. The bonito fishing was carried on exclusively by Japanese and Okinawans. Even 

 at present the outside trolling is done chiefly by natives from Tap using sailing canoes, 

 or occasionally by paddling. The total catch by trolling is inconsequential, each boat 

 getting only one or two fish per day. There is no processing of the catch, all being 

 consumed fresh. The bonito (Ka tsuwonus pelamis ) in this area run to about 15 pounds each. 



With the exception of one native who, with his family, fishes for trochus and other 

 shells, trepang, and turtles, there are very few of what might be called professional fisher- 

 men around Ponape. Almost all of the natives have canoes and fish for subsistence only, but 

 much of their time is devoted to agriculture. 



At the present time the fishing lines are mostly of sennit, woven by the men by rolling 

 fibres of ripe coconut husks on their thighs. Hand net and seine twine is also made from 

 tliis and ranges in size from approximately #15 to #U0. The locally made spears either have 

 a single simple barb on the end, made of quarter-inch steel rods two feet long, or may have 

 three or four barbless points of 1/8 or 3/16 inch round rod. In either case the points are 

 set into a wood shaft 5/8 inch in diameter and six to eight feet long. 



The area in the vicinity of Ponape town is similar to Truk in that the Japanese were 

 short of protein food towards the end and did much dynamiting of fish, mostly inside the 

 outer reef and along the outside of the inner fringing reef. The fisn population is there- 

 fore scmevrtiat reduced, especially the smaller reef fishes. The larger fish, including the 

 blue parrot fish ( Callyodon sp.), crevalle ( Caranx sp.), and mullet ( L'ugil cephalus ) . are 

 very wild. The mullet here range in size up to 18 indies in length and two and a half 

 pounds in weight. Shell fish of all kinds were also taken by the Japanese in large 

 quantities as food. Even the black-lipped pearl oysters ( Pinctada sp.), trochus ( Trochus 

 niloticus ). and cat-eyes ( Turbo sp.), as well as Cardium and Anadara . were eaten and are 



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