bait T;ere thrown over. As the vessel drifted showly, the bonito followed the live bait to 

 the stern of the snip. As soon as a school has been brought to the ship there is a definite 

 division of labor among the fishermen and each man has a, task to perform. In this case 17 

 men did the actual I'isning. Ihere were four men across the stern and 13 men along the port 

 rail from bow to stem. No fishing was done from the starboard side. One man on the star- 

 board quarter threw live bait over the stern to keep the fish coming to the four men who 

 were fishing there. Amidships on the port side one man threw live bait both fore and aft 

 to keep the fish coming to the iishermen on that side. Two men got bait out of the tanks 

 while two others kept the bait throwers supplied with fresh live bait. Throughout the 

 fisning, salt T;ater is sprayed over the side from nozzles located aoout every four feet 

 (Fig. /t3). In this case there were eleven nozzles operating on the port side and three on 

 the stern. The purpose of this spraying is twofold: first, it tends to prevent the fish 

 from being frightened by sight of the fishermenj and second, the action of the spray on 

 the water is somev.hat similar to a school of small bait trying to escape. Each fisherman 

 has a heavy bamboo pole about ten feet in length to whi'ch is attached a line of the same 

 length. At the end of the line is a barbless hook, which may be one of two types. In one 

 case it has a few white feathers attached to it, similar to a feather jig, and in the other 

 case it is plain and a live minnow is put on the hook by inserting the point through both 

 lips. Ihe feather jig is used when the fish first come alongside the ship and is worked 

 back and forth near the surface. After a few minutes the fish seem to become aware of the 

 fact that the feather jig is not alive and cease striking on it. This jig is then removed 

 and the plain barbless hook is put on vdth live bait attached through both lips. Fishing 

 continues until the school of bonito soimds or the live bait is exhausted. 



The actual catching of the fish requires considerable skill and dexterity. As soon 

 as a fish strikes, the fisherman leans back and dovm, heaving the fish quickly out of the 

 water and toward the ship (fig. ^-i). The amount of power put into lifting the fish is 

 gauged carefully so that the fish will come aboardship at about the height of the fisher- 

 man's waist. He grabs the fish under his left arm, removes the hook- (if it heis not already 

 come out of its own accord), and in practically one motion throws the fish behind him on 

 deck and drops the hook again into the v.ater. Some of the fishermen are so skillful that 

 they can with one heave bring the fish up and on deck, disengage the hook without touching 

 the fish, and be fishing again while the fish is flapping on the deck. Expert fishermen 

 will catch from ten to twelve fish per minute. All of the fish caught were ocean bonito 

 or skipjack ( Katsuwonus ( Euthynnus ) pelamis ) , and ^,017 pounds were taken in an hour and 

 five minutes. Tlie average weight per fish was nine and a half pounds. 



In addition to the bonito there are heavy runs of mackerel, particularly during the 

 month of March. In March of 194-6 large schools came inside the reef, and during one week 

 a total of 68,000 pounds were taken. If facilities were available, it is reasonable to 

 expect that several hundred thousand pounds could be taken annually. 



It must be remembered that here, as elsewhere, the Japanese did not allow the 

 Chamorros to go outside the reef and consequently they were unfamiliar with offshore 

 fishing methods. Their progress in becomin?' expert fishermen since the American occupation 

 has been most encouraging. With proper support there is every reason to expect that they 

 can develop a very flourishing fishery for bonito (skipjack), tuna, and mackerel. 



It is suggested that it might be worthwhile to undertake experiments with some type 

 of purse seine or lampara net for the taking of bonito. It is realized that there are 

 many difficulties involved, especially the rapidity with which the schools of fish travel, 

 the transparency of the water, and the fact that there is no smooth bottom in shallow 

 water. Quite possibly the operations would have to be carried on at night. Such a method 

 would, hov/ever, make possible the establishment of lisheries in areas where bait fish are 

 not abundant. Recognizing the limitations imposed by the supply of bait fish, the Japanese 

 experimented with purse seines during the 1920' s but were unsuccessful in developing a 

 suitable method. 



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