t 
III PROCESSING OF FISHERY PRODUCTS 
General 
Production . The greater part of the fish caught for home con¬ 
sumption was eaten fresh, for no village or town in Japan is so far 
from the sea that it cannot be supplied with fairly fresh fish. Improved 
refrigeration made it possible to greatly extend the range of fisheries 
which could supply truly fresh fish to the large urban markets. Con¬ 
siderable amounts, however, were processed for both domestic consumption 
and export. 
No statistics are available which indicate the percentage of the 
total catch which was processed, but it is estimated that approximately 
one-fourth of the fish landed in Japan proper was processed for food. 59/ 
The volume of the manufactured fishery food products averaged about 
525,000 tons in the period 1935 - 1939. 
Table 38 summarizes for recent years the quantity and value of 
the various groups of manufactured fishery products and Table 39 the value 
of processed products by districts. Table 40 gives the value of the 
various manufactured food products as compiled by the Ministry of Agri¬ 
culture and Forestry and Table 41 lists the processing methods for some 
of the leading marine products. 
59/ Thi8 estimate is based on the knowledge that in prewar years about 
a third of the catch was processed into non-edible products (fish meal 
and oil) and an estimate that 60 - 65 percent of that remaining was 
consumed fresh. 
- 119 - 
16.-031 P 144 bu 
