29 



Akita. But the best fishing grounds are found in the western 

 coasts of the Hokkaido and Karafuto. 



Herring crowd along the coast for the purpose of laying; 

 their eggs during the three months from April to June every 

 year and most of the fishing is effected at these times. Fishing; 

 implements for the capture of herring are the Yukinari-ami; 

 (a kind of pound net), the square pound net, (Kakuami) circle 

 net, ground seine gill net and drift net of which the last is- 

 under the experimentary stage. 



Of the preceeding six methods of fishing, the gill net had: 

 been in use from ancient times which was followed by the 

 invention of zaruami both of which were in use till 1847 when, 

 with the invention of the Yukinari-ami (a kind of pound net), 

 the zaruami net was abandoned. 



It was about 1885 that the square pound net (Kakuami) came 

 into use by which the output of fishing was greatly increased. 

 so that it now forms one of the principal fishing implements, 

 in this branch of fishery. 



The method of fishing does not much vary from that by the- 

 yellow tail pound net. The net is placed at the depth of some lO 

 fathoii>s along the coast and when the fish get into the net, a fishing 

 boat at one end starts hauling up the net, thus the fish is chased 

 into a bag-net which is known as Waku-ami (frame net) provided in 

 the fishing boat at the other end. When in this way the net is well- 

 jiigh filled with fish the same process is gone through with the other. 



At the time when herrings form shoals, as many as a ioo,Ooa- 

 pounds are caught in one haul. During the fishing season 

 300,000 pounds of herring valued at over I0,000 yen are 

 captured, while herrings thus got are prepared as food-stuffs and. 

 fertilizers or as material for fish oil. 



