American Fisheries Socvety. 121 
at first for the mere pleasure of the owner, but later it became a 
commercial enterprise and is now very profitable. 
The history and methods of gold-fish culture in Japan make 
a very interesting subject to the fish-culturist, biologist and eth- 
nologist; and I wish I had time to dwell on it. Some of the 
American ideas as to the way in which the different varieties 
are produced are preposterous and caused much mirth among the 
Japanese when I mentioned them. On this point I need only 
say that the results are due to selection and feeding, through 
many generations, beginning with the wild, carp-colored form 
which is abundant in lakes and ponds. 
A branch of the fisheries in which Japan far surpasses all 
other countries as regards both extent and methods is the sea- 
weed industry. In the United States, notwithstanding our long 
coast line and sea-weed resources not inferior to Japan’s, the 
annual crop of marine vegetables is worth only $40,000, whereas 
in Japan these products are worth not less than $2,000,000, and 
are exceeded in value by only four animal products of the fisher- 
ies. Many kinds of alge are gathered, and many uses are made 
of them. The local consumption is enormous, yet large quanti- 
ties of prepared sea-weeds are exported to China, America, 
Europe and elsewhere. 
One of the most valuable kinds of sea-weeds is the kelp, or 
Laminaria, which is taken in immense quantities on the more 
northern coasts, particularly in the island of Hokkaido. The 
fishermen go out in small boats and gather the weeds from the 
rocks by means of long-handled wooden hooks. The plants are 
spread flat on the beaches to dry, and when thoroughly cured 
are packed in bundles and sent to manufacturers in various parts 
of the empire, by whom it is prepared for market in a great 
variety of ways, under the geneval name of kombu. Kombu is 
one of the staple foods of the country, entering into the dietary 
of almost every family and being eaten alone as a vegetable or 
as a seasoning for meats, fish, stews, etc. One of the commonest 
methods of preparation is to dye the dried fronds with a solution 
of copper sulphate or a green aniline stain, for the same reason 
that French peas are dyed, and then cut them into long shreds 
which, when dry, resemble the so-called “Spanish moss” that 
festoons trees in the Southern States. After the shredded weed 
