Table 14. --Fishing conditions in Java waters (Hakuyo 

 Maru, January 1931; Haruna Maru, 

 December 1933) 



As the data are not only very scarce but extremely unevenly distributed, there is 

 danger in drawing conclusions on the basis of just these data, however, if the facts shown in the 

 foregoing table are compared with the data from the waters of Sumatra and the Lesser Sunda 

 archipelago (to be discussed below), it nnay be thought that fishing conditions in Java waters 

 during the season of northerly winds are markedly slack in comparison with adjacent sea areas. 

 Furthermore, as has already been stated, the investigations of the Haruna Maru were confined to 

 the eastern and western extremities of this sea area and therefore it can be seen that fishing was 

 extremely poor off the central part of Java (1 sic). The season at which the investigations were 

 carried on coincides with the season of extremely good fishing in the waters off Sumatra. It is 

 consequently difficult to believe that the reason for the marked inferiority of the fishing in this 

 sea area as compared with coastal waters of Sumatra was due to seasonal changes. 



The foregoing facts seem to give important indications for the consideration of the 

 distribution of tunas (principally yellowfin) in the Indian Oceam region. The above table makes it 

 appear that the distribution of yellowfin is extremely sparse in the currents which flow into the 

 waters off Java from the central portion of the southern Indian Ocean, or in other words on the 

 offshore side of the current boundary which runs east and west in the vicinity of 8 to 10 S. 

 latitude. Unfortunately, data are very few and a thorough evaluation is impossible, but it is 

 believed that not only yellowfin but bigeye txina and spearfishes are extrennely scarce or almost 

 completely absent in this current. 



The investigations of the Haruna Maru showed that, as might have been expected, the 

 fishing picked up sonnewhat near the eastern and western extremes of this sea Jirea and that here 

 the composition of the catch and the size of the yellowfin, which were the principal element in 

 the catch, agreed well with the catches made in the adjacent Sumatra and Lesser Sunda regions. 



From the foregoing it appears that during this season of northerly winds the waters 

 south of Java cannot be expected to have any very great value as tuna fishing grounds. 



As there are absolutely no data for the season of southerly winds, vje have no way of 

 knowing fishing conditions at this time of year. However, at this season the pattern of the sea 

 currents changes conspicuously, and the current which comes flowing from the Lesser Sunda 

 archipelago on the east continues right along the island of Java to the westward. As will be ex- 

 pleiined in a later section, fishing in the waters of the Lesser Sundas during the season of south- 

 erly winds is quite active, and therefore it is thought that a certain amount of fishing can be 

 anticipated in the waters off Java at this season. However, as has already been stated, un- 

 favorable weather conditions at this time of year must naturally be taken into account. 



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