In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands, Pacific Oceanic 

 Fishery Investigations has found fair quantities of surface 

 yellowfin and some skipjack dxiring the summer months » This 

 area has possibilities of supporting a limited live-bait 

 fisheryo Inadequate knowledge exists concerning availability 

 of surface tunas in the surrounding open ocean. Surface-swimming 

 schools in this area can be readiily taken by trolling as well as 

 live bait, but efforts at purse seining them have been unsuccessful. 



An exceptionally dense population of sub-surface tunas has 

 been dj.s covered by Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations explora- 

 tions south of Hawaii in the general area from lliO° to 160° W. 

 longitude and from the Equator to 8° N. latitude. Long-line 

 catches on experimental trips have ranged from 3 to 30 fish per 

 hundred hooks, and average catches of 10 or 12 per hundred hooks 

 have been made. This is exceptionally good fishing as compared 

 to the Japanese and Hawaiian long-line fisheries. Primarily, 

 these are large yellowfin tuna averaging over 100 poimds, with 

 lesser amounts of big-eyed tuna and skipjack. The population is 

 apparently subject to seasonal and possible other fluctuations in 

 abundance, and it appears at present that the summer and fall are 

 superior to other seasons. 



The catch that could be expected by an American commercial 

 fishing vessel using long lines in this area would depend to a 

 great extent on the amount of gear the crew is willing and able 

 to operate. Japanese crews of about 20 men fish approximately 

 2,000 hooks per day working extremely long ho\irs, and a 

 Philippine crew of 10 will fish about 600 hooks per day. It is 

 impossible to project these figures into an American operation, 

 but it does appear likely that an American crew of 12 could fish 

 about 900 hooks per day assuming some slight improvements in the 

 gear and methods of operation are made. An experimental trip with 

 a converted Pacific coast purse seiner and a Hawaiian crew in 

 August and September 1952 resulted in a catch of 96,000 pounds of 

 tuna in approximately one month's fishing time. On the basis of 

 catch rates on recent trips, the average daily catch for an 

 American vessel and crew might be expected to range from 6,000 to 

 13,000 pounds in the most productive areas. 



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