Page 1| GHAPTER I 



Introductory 



Section 1 Introduction 



Hitherto the poisonous fishes of the South Seas have been little 

 known, probabXy because those seas are remarkably rich in useful marine 

 resources which could fill the need for food without the necessity of 

 trying to bring every different species to the table. For this reason 

 fisheries research or^fanizations and researchers both in the South Seas 

 and in Japan have concentrated on studies of the useful species. As a 

 result many advances have been made in this field, but on the other hand 

 there have naturally not been any worthwhile studies made of the so-<a!Ued 

 "reef fishes", whose food value is small. 



Furthermore, the poisonous fishes which are the object of this re- 

 port are not found in great numbers anywhere in the South Seas, and they 

 are most plentiful in far places where few Japanese venture, and where 

 not only are research facilities completely lackin<; but where heat and 

 I Page g disease make merely existing difficult for those who work with 

 their brains. This is another reason for the lack of knowledge about 

 poisonous fish. 



In spite of this, two or three pioneers have already pursued studies 

 in this field, and, as set forth in a later section, some of their re- 

 ports are worthy of note. The writer, before sailing, tried to examine 

 the whole situation regarding poisonrus fishes in the South Seas by con- 

 sulting these authorities and also by communication viith persons in the 

 various areas, however, in most cases the information about the fish 

 themselves wos inadequate and it proved impossible to grasp the true 

 situation. 



The author, after going to the islands, made various inquiries of 

 fishermen, natives, and others. Although there were some among them who 

 gave a true picture of things, most of them supplied strange stories 

 which clashed with common sense, or else the information they supplied 

 had already been recorded in the previous literature. Coming to know 

 the complexity and strangeness of the problem, the author felt on the 

 one hand an interest in trying to clarify it, and on the other hand he 

 lost confidence in bein<» able, with his poor powers, to' accomplish the 

 task. T'ortunately, through the support of many persons, we have finally 

 arrived at the reporting of our results, but given a problem of such 

 complexity, in such a short space of time and with preparntions, facili- 

 ties, and personnel far from ideal, we have not been able completely to 

 solve it. This report is incomplete in many respects and we can only 

 trust that it will prove valuable in encouraging later researches. 



The main objective of this investigation has been to carry out the 

 most practical kinds of stvdies and experiments to ascertain what kinds 

 of fish are poisonous, how ordinary methods of preparation for the table 

 affect their toxicity, and, <f possible, how to eliminate the poison and 



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