July 1966 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 9 



THE SOUTH PACIFIC LONG-LINE FISHERY FOR 

 ALBACORE TUNA , 1954-64 



By Tamio Otsu* 



ABSTRACT 



This report presents a brief history and the present status of the South Pacific tuna long- 

 line fishery based in American Samoa. From a modest beginning with a fleet of only 7 Japa- 

 nese long-line vessels, this fishery has grown steadily, and by 1963 it comprised about 100 

 vessels from Japan, Republic of Korea, and the Republic of China. The annual landings of 

 albacore tuna, the principal species caught, increased from 744,500 poimds in 1954 to 30 

 million pounds in 1963. The catch declined in 1964 to 23.5 million pounds, owing to the 

 combined effects of a decrease in catch per effort and a drop in fishing effort. Preliminary 

 analysis suggests that the entrance of a strong year-class in early 1964 has contributed in large 

 part to the decline in catch (by weight) per unit of effort in 1964, 



In 1949, a small cannery was built on the north shore of Pago Pago Bay, Tutulla Island, 

 American Samoa. Except for two trial runs, the cannery was never operated, owing to the 

 failure of attempts to supply it with tuna by live-bait fishing and purse seining in the surround- 

 ing waters. The U. S. Department of the Interior subsequently purchased the plant and offered 

 the cannery for lease. In 1953, a California tuna-pacl^ing firm bid for and obtained a lease on 

 the plant with an option to renew it. (Van Campen 1954. "Tuna fishing at American Samoa, 

 January-April 1954.") This transaction marked the beginning of the tuna fishery in American 

 Samoa and the beginning of a South Pacific long-line fishery for albacore. In January 1954, 

 seven Japanese tuna vessels began long-line fishing around American Samoa to supply tuna to 

 this cannery. In 1963, a second California tuna-packing company began canning tuna in Ameri- 

 can Samoa. 



Starting with a modest fleet of 7 long-liners in 1954, the operation grew steadily and by 

 the latter part of 1958, a total of 30 long-line fishing vessels was based at American Samoa. 

 The number of vessels reached a peak in 1963, when about 100 vessels were operating. As of 

 December 1964, a total of 68 vessels was operating in this fishery. 



The composition of the fishing fleet, in terms of the country of origin of the vessels, has 

 changed over the years. In the early years of the fishery, the fleet was composed entirely of 

 long-liners from Japan. In 1962, vessels from the Republic of Korea began operating in the 

 area and in 1964, vessels from the Republic of China joined the fleet. The 68 -vessel fleet op- 

 erating in December 1964 was composed of 40 vessels from Japan, 17 from the Republic of 

 Korea, and 11 from the Republic of China. 



Because of the very rapid development of this fishery, a data-collecting system was es- 

 tablished to monitor the effects of the fishery on the resource. Through the cooperation of 

 Governor H. Rex Lee of the Government of American Samoa, the Samoa Department of Agri- 

 culture and the tuna-processing industries, a field station was established in April 1963. 

 Manned by personnel from the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory 

 Honolulu, Hawaii, the field station is effective not only in conducting biological sampling of 

 catches, but also in obtaining catch and operational data from vessel operators who deliver 

 their catches to the canneries. This report is partially based on data obtained through this 

 field station. 



The geographical expansion of the fishery is illustrated in figure 1. At the outset of the 

 fishery in 1954, the vessels fished relatively close to American Samoa in an area of approxi- 

 mately 100,000 square miles. By 1956, considerable fishing already took place as far south 

 as latitude 28° S., in waters southeast of the Tonga Islands. The greatest expansion of fishirtg 

 grounds was in 1958, however, when vessels extended fishing eastward to the vicinity of the 



^= Supervisory Fishery Biologist (Research), Biological Laboratory, U, S, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

 Note: This article is part of a more comprehensive report being prepared on the American Samoa-based fishery. 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

 Fish and Wildlife Service 

 Sep. No. 766 



