The Northern Fisheries. 
General. Included in the "Northern Fisheries," as 
usually considered are three major categories: the fisheries in Soviet 
waters, the floating factory fisheries and the fishing off the Northern 
Kuriles* 39/ Together these accounted for an animal production valued 
from ¥ 72 million to ¥ 132 million in the period 1936 - 1940 (Table 24). 
Figures giving the volume of the entire catch of these fisheries are not 
available because part of the catch is immediately canned or processed. 
It may be roughly estimated at between 200,000 and 300,000 metric tons 
annually in the prewar period. 40/ 
TABLE 24 
Value of Japanese Northern Fisheries, 1936 - 1940 
(1,000 yen) 
1936 
1937 
1938 
1939 
1940 
Fisheries in Soviet 
Waters 
35,489 
37,598 
44,007 
49,164 
44,524 
Factory Ship Production 
19,181 
25,809 
28,136 
31,573 
21,623 
Fishing off Northern 
Kuriles 
17.807 
% 
25,483 
30,663 
42,920 
25,315 
Total 
72,477 
88,890 
102,806 
133,657 
91,462 
Source: Tovo Keizai Nenkan , 1943. 
39/ The fisheries of Karafuto and the southern Kuriles mi^it well be 
included in the "northern fisheries," but statistics on the production 
of these areas generally are not included. Small coastal fishing craft 
operate off the southern Kuriles and also predominate off Karafuto where¬ 
as the northern fisheries described here are of a larger scale commer¬ 
cialised nature based on Japan proper. 
40/ The statistics available make it difficult to estimate the production 
or the Northern fisheries in terms of weight as caught. Some estimates 
place the 1938 production as high as 350,000 metric tons. 
-91- 
16-031 P115 bu 
