﻿36 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  about 
  10 
  feet. 
  Often 
  when 
  the 
  lon^-fin 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  plentiful 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  catch 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  m 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  leaping 
  and 
  yellow-finned 
  tunas. 
  These 
  

   gamey, 
  swift-moving 
  fish, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  prowess, 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  reach 
  

   the 
  bait 
  before 
  their 
  less 
  active 
  associates. 
  

  

  Some 
  fishermen 
  entertain 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  

   for 
  the 
  long-fin 
  are 
  at 
  considerable 
  distances 
  from 
  shore 
  and 
  that 
  

   larger 
  catches 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  larger 
  vessels 
  on 
  longer 
  trips. 
  The 
  

   proper 
  equipment 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  provided, 
  however, 
  and 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  tested 
  this 
  theory 
  with 
  their 
  present 
  craft. 
  The 
  

   boats 
  employed 
  are 
  small, 
  open 
  motors 
  driven 
  by 
  engines 
  averaging 
  

   about 
  8 
  horsepower. 
  Usually 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  men 
  constitute 
  a 
  crew, 
  

   although 
  some 
  boats 
  operate 
  with 
  only 
  two. 
  

  

  Hand 
  lines 
  are 
  used 
  exclusively 
  in 
  securing 
  the 
  commercial 
  catch, 
  

   which 
  until 
  recently 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  trolling. 
  The 
  Japanese 
  are 
  cred- 
  

   ited 
  with 
  introducing 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  "chumming" 
  now 
  m 
  vogue 
  and 
  

   being 
  employed 
  with 
  success. 
  Before 
  starting 
  on 
  a 
  trip 
  the 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  prepare 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  bait 
  for 
  chummmg 
  by 
  chopping 
  up 
  sar- 
  

   dines 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  fish 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  local 
  waters. 
  When 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  they 
  catch 
  sardines 
  

   for 
  bait 
  by 
  seinmg 
  alongside 
  the 
  boat; 
  the 
  sardines 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  

   tank 
  on 
  board, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  renewed 
  frequently 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  bait 
  

   in 
  good 
  condition. 
  To 
  test 
  the 
  ground, 
  a 
  live 
  sardine 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  

   trolling 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  boat 
  proceeds 
  slowly. 
  When 
  a 
  strike 
  is 
  made, 
  

   indicating 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  school, 
  the 
  engine 
  is 
  stopped 
  and 
  the 
  

   chopped 
  bait 
  is 
  thrown 
  overboard 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  school 
  about 
  the 
  boat. 
  

   The 
  hand 
  Ihies 
  are 
  then 
  baited 
  with 
  live 
  sardines; 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  

   running 
  well 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  almost 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  lines 
  can 
  be 
  cast 
  

   and 
  hauled. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  two 
  men 
  have 
  taken 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  tuna 
  

   by 
  this 
  method 
  m 
  less 
  than 
  an 
  hour. 
  Daily 
  trips 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  made, 
  and 
  the 
  fleet 
  returns 
  each 
  afternoon 
  or 
  evening 
  

   to 
  the 
  canneries, 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  dressed 
  on 
  the 
  homeward 
  trip 
  when 
  

   this 
  is 
  practicable. 
  

  

  When 
  landed 
  at 
  the 
  cannery 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  hanging 
  racks 
  to 
  

   drain 
  the 
  blood 
  from 
  them 
  and 
  insure 
  the 
  whiteness 
  of 
  the 
  meat. 
  

   After 
  draining 
  they 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  trays 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  low-pressure 
  retort, 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  baked 
  in 
  live 
  steam. 
  As 
  the 
  fish 
  usually 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  

   plant 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  afternoon 
  or 
  evening, 
  the 
  night 
  is 
  generally 
  devoted 
  

   to 
  this 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  process. 
  Next 
  morning 
  the 
  baked 
  fish 
  are 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  from 
  the 
  retorts 
  to 
  the 
  filling 
  tables. 
  Before 
  the 
  meat 
  is 
  put 
  

   into 
  the 
  cans 
  it 
  is 
  carefully 
  carved, 
  the 
  bones, 
  skin, 
  and 
  dark 
  meat 
  

   being 
  removed. 
  The 
  white 
  meat, 
  kept 
  as 
  nearly 
  whole 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   then 
  passes 
  to 
  the 
  filling 
  crew. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  pinch 
  of 
  salt, 
  a 
  small 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  oil 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  each 
  can 
  prior 
  to 
  filling, 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  lack 
  

   of 
  natural 
  oil 
  in 
  the 
  fish. 
  Olive 
  oil 
  was 
  originally 
  used 
  for 
  this 
  pur- 
  

   pose, 
  but 
  in 
  1913 
  all 
  the 
  plants 
  except 
  one 
  discontinued 
  tliis 
  practice 
  

   and 
  substituted 
  cottonseed 
  oil, 
  which, 
  it 
  is 
  claimed, 
  has 
  given 
  equal 
  

   satisfaction. 
  The 
  solderless 
  process 
  is 
  employed 
  almost 
  exculsively 
  

   in 
  tuna 
  canning, 
  so 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  filling 
  tables 
  the 
  cans 
  proceed 
  to 
  the 
  

   topper, 
  thence 
  through 
  the 
  exhaust 
  box 
  to 
  retorts 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

   employed 
  in 
  salmon 
  canneries, 
  where 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  again 
  cooked 
  in 
  

   steam 
  under 
  pressure. 
  This 
  product 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  marketed 
  both 
  as 
  

   "tuna" 
  and 
  "tunny." 
  

  

  