Table 1 7. --Fishing conditions, catch composition, and 

 size of yellowfin tuna compared 



Notes: 1. The catch rate is the number of tunas and spearfishes caught per hundred hooks. 



2. The percentages for tunas and spearfishes are the proportion of those species in 

 the total catch. 



Taking a general view of the Indian Ocean region described above, fishing conditions 

 are on the whole better during the season of northerly winds with poorer catches during the 

 season of southerly winds. It is to be regretted that we have very few data for the season of 

 southerly winds, but if it is assumed that the tendency described above can actually be detected, 

 it is deeply interesting to compare it with the situation in the Pacific Ocean areas to be described 

 below, 



B. Pacific Ocean Region 



o o 



Under this heading will be discussed the area from 15 S. latitude to about 43 N. 



latitude and west of 180 E. longitude. This includes the various seas to the north of the Lesser 

 Sunda Islands. As in the case of the Indian Ocean region, this region has been divided up in 

 accordance with the topography and oceanographic conditions, and an outline of the character- 

 istics of each sea area as a fishing ground will be presented. As there are no standards for sub- 

 division in the central part of the Pacific Ocean, that area will be divided for convenience by 

 latitude and longitude. 



1. Molucca Strait, Banda Sea, and Flores Sea ( 0° to 8 S. , 115 to 1 30 E. ) 



This sea area is bounded by the Lesser Sunda archipelago, the Molucca Islands, the 

 island of Celebes, and New Guinea. From July to Septennber, that is, during the season when the 

 southerly winds are at their strongest, the current flowing southeast from the Arafura Sea area 

 spreads into the vicinity of the eastern tip of Timor and one of its branches flows westward into 

 the southern part of this sea area. This current again divides southeast of Celebes with one 

 branch advancing northward off the east coast of Celebes, passing through the Molucca Strait, 

 and flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The other branch flows west along the north side of the 

 Lesser Sunda archipelago and enters the Java Sea. Another current of a completely different 

 system flows from the Celebes Sea region through the Macassar Strait and into the western part 

 of the Flores Sea. This current is rather strong, but its effect on fishing is not known. 



The ocean currents from January through March, that is, the season at which the 

 northerly winds are at their strongest, are almost completely opposite to the pattern seen from 

 July to September. A current appears flowing eastward from the Java Sea region, and another 



52 



