2 i 2 The National Geographic Magazine 



look-out boat with an elevated perch, 

 and 150 to 200 men are in constant at- 

 tendance. A net which I visited and 

 saw drawn had two wings each 3,000 

 feet long, one of them extending to the 

 shore ; the bag was 900 feet long, 250 

 feet wide at its mouth, and 125 feet 

 deep. During a season of two and a half 

 months this net had stocked $50,000, 

 which was an ordinary catch. On one 

 occasion 10,000 yellow-tails, averaging 

 20 pounds each, were taken at one haul. 

 A very useful method of preserving the 

 yellow-tail, which insures cleanliness 

 and easy transportation, is to soak the 

 fish in brine, cut it into four lengthwise 

 sections several feet long, remove the 

 bones, wrap each piece in rice straw, 

 and wind it with a straw rope. This 

 preparation is called maki-buri and is 

 an excellent food product. 



The most remarkable of the fresh- 

 water fishes of Japan is the ayu or sweet- 



From Hugh M. Smith 



Drying Kelp on the Beach in Hokkaido 



fied with their suitability for the rough 

 water and strong winds which prevail, 

 and is endeavoring to introduce and 

 popularize more seaworthy boats mod- 

 eled after the American types. 



CATCHING THE YELIyOW-TAIIy 



Reference has been made to the impor- 

 tance of the amber-fish or yellow-tail. 

 Along the southern shores of Shikoku 

 the taking of this species is the chief 

 fishery, requiring a large outlay of cap- 

 ital and employing many men. The 

 apparatus used is a huge bag net, with 

 long straight wings. When a school 

 of fish has entered the net, the boats 

 close in, the fish are driven into the 

 bag, and are finally pocketed. I be- 

 lieve I am safe in saying that the yel- 

 low-tail nets are larger than any other 

 set nets in the world and require the 

 services of more men. Each net is at- 

 tended by 25 to 30 boats, including a 



