are taken in large quantities. 
The tme mackerel or eaba ( Scomber japonicus) is the most impor¬ 
tant in tonnage and value; in 1940 the catch amounted to more than 92 
million pounds and was valued at ¥ 10.6 million. Mackerel are numerous 
in the coastal waters of Japan as far north as Hokkaido but are taken 
only in small quantities north of this. They are taken only in small 
numbers in the Japan Sea, north of 40® on the Honshu coast. Ishikawa, 
Toyama and Niigata prefectures are the chief areas of the west coast. 
Mackerel are caught at almost all seasons, but during the summer 
when they approach the coasts the coastal fishing season reaches*its 
peak. In this season they prefer bays with depths up to 20 meters, 
returning in winter to depths of 40 to 100 meters. 
In quantity of production tuna and bonito rank after only sardines, 
herring, cod and mackerel. They are caught in both the coastal waters 
and the high seas, slightly more being taken in the latter; in 1936 about 
93 million pounds of tuna were taken in the deep sea fisheries and 
* 
74 million pounds in the coastal waters. 
The range of these species is immense; hardly any marine district 
from Etorofu in the Kurile Islands to Formosa is without tuna fishing 
and to the east of Honshu the operations extend as far as 2,000 miles 
out into the Pacific and to the south as far as the South Seas. 
Four species of tuna are caught in considerable quantity: long 
t 
finned tuna ( Thunnus alalunga ). yellow tuna ( Neothunnus macrooterus ), 
black tuna ( Thunnus orientalis) and mebachi ( Parathunnus mebachi ). 
- 37 - 
16-031 P59 bu 
