334 EIGHTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS 



sources are the tunas, but there are numerous other species of potential 

 commercial value, such as flying fish, half beaks and mackerels. 



The fisheries industry on a commercial basis should go together 

 with a more differentiated community where a group of fishermen 

 could earn their livelihood by catching fish for sale. Such differentiation 

 does not exist to any marked degree. The number of fishermen in the 

 region who earn their livelihood by fish catching, although not known, 

 is very small. Development in that direction requires better processing 

 techniques. 



Processing 

 The Conference stated: 



"The only methods of processing employed in the region are 

 salting, smoking and drying, mostly by crude and primitive tech- 

 niques. Only small proportions of fish caught are processed." 

 In the papers submitted to the Fisheries Conference some valuable 

 information on fish processing is suppHed. Ihe paper submitted by 

 the Australian Delegation based on a survey of native methods of fish 

 preservation in New Guinea carried out by Mr. K. W. Anderson of the 

 Food and Transport Division, C.S.I.R.O., during April, May and June, 

 1950, states that the objects of that survey were: 



"1. To evaluate methods at present in use; 

 2. To determine what improved methods might be introduced 

 to increase the storage life of the fish and make it available: 



(a) for smoothing out seasonal fluctuations in supply 



(b) for distributing to inland protein deficient com- 

 munities." 



In summarizing their observations, they state: 



"As far as could be ascertained, the sole method for preserva- 

 tion of fish used throughout the temtory was a simple, crude dry- 

 ing over a hot fire." 

 The paper gives full information as follows:— 



"The extent to which the fish is dried varies somewhat with- 

 in uncontrolled limits, but can broadly be classified into two 

 groups: — 



(a) short term, partial drying, with or without prior cleaning of 

 the fish, giving a product that is relatively soft, probably has 

 moisture content in the range of 40 to 60% and a storage life 

 of one to seven days. This is the technique used in the great 

 portion of the territory. 



