FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

ALBERT M. DAY, Director

COMMERCIAL REVIEW

FISHERIES

A REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS AND NEWS OF THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES

PREPARED IN THE BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES

A. W. Anderson, Editor

R. T. Whiteleather, Associate Editor

Wm. H. Dumont and J. Pileggi, Assistant Editors

Applications for COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, which is mailed tree to members of the

fishery industries and allied interests, should be addressed to the

Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, 25, D.C.

The contents of this publication have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted freely; however, reference to

the source will be appreciated. The Service assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of material from outside sources.

The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, December 15, 1949

January 1950

Washington 25, D.C.

Vol.12, No. 1

PRELIMINARY FISHERIES SURVEY OF THE

HAWAIIAN-LINE ISLANDS AREA

PARTI-THE HAWAIIAN LONG-LINE FISHERY

By Fred C. June*

PREFACE

This survey was undertaken for the purpose of gathering information on the tunas and tuna bait fishes of the Hawaiian-Line Islands region to be used in planning the operations of POFI research and exploratory fishing vessels in the waters of the tropical and sub-tropical central Pacific Ocean. Since commercial tuna fisheries now exist in this region only in the Hawaiian Islands proper, some emphasis has been placed on a study of the fisheries of this island group.

This report is based upon the information gathered between January 3 and June 30, 1949. The data were gathered from trips aboard fishing vessels, field trips to outlying islands, examination of catches landed at local markets, and discussions with fishermen and market personnel. There has been opportunity to study the tuna fisheries of a small section of the central Pacific Ocean. The data compiled on places of occurrence, abundance, species, and methods of capture of tunas, spearfishes and bait fishes include information which will be of value toward understanding the vertical and horizontal distribution, seasonal changes in occurrence, and habits of these fishes in this area.

It was originally planned that the results of the entire survey be presented in a single report; however, it seems desirable that certain phases of the work should be summarized at present in order that this information may be made readily available during the early stages of planning vessel operations. This paper is Part I of the complete report. Other parts will follow.

INTRODUCTION

The tuna long line has become an important fishing gear for exploiting the large pelagic tunas and spearfishes that enter the coastal and offshore waters of the Hawaiian Archipelago. This island group is the only region in the tropical central Pacific Ocean where a long-line fishery is now established.

Fishery Research Biologist, Section of Biology and Oceanography, Pacific Oceanic Fishery
Investigations, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

1/Spearfishes include the marlins, swordfishes, and sailfishes.

NOTE: Many persons aided the reconnaissance survey of the Hawaiian-Line Islands region.
Mr. Vernon Brock, Director of the Territorial Division of Fish and Game, made available
the catch statistics of the tuna landings in Hawaiian waters and gave much valuable advice
and assistance. Grateful acknowledgment must be made of the services extended by Mr. Paul
Lexton, British District Officer at Canton Island and Mr. Walter Backus, Civil Aeronautics
Administration Administrator at Canton Island. CAA and the U. S. Coast Guard provided
transportation to the various islands visited. Besides these persons and government agen-
cies, many fishermen, officials at the Honolulu Market Place and Service personnel offered
their fullest cooperation.

Bdg.

JOL # 1951

Prior to World War II, Japanese tuna boats conducted similar operations in the waters south of Japan, including the former Mandated Islands region, and offshore from Japan to the longitude of Midway. The bulk of the tunas which were

THOUSANDS

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

FIGURE I TUNA CATCH (YELLOWFIN AND BIG-EYED TUNAS AND ALBACORE
IN THE TERRITORY OF HAWAII, 1937-48. NO DATA AVAILABLE FOR
1943. CATCH FOR 1944 INCLUDES MARCH THROUGH DECEMBER ONLY.
DATA OBTAINED FROM CATCH RECORDS OF TERRITORIAL DIVISION OF
FISH AND GAME.

caught in these areas

was landed at Japanese home ports. At present SCAP regulations do not permit the Japanese to fish south of 24° N. latitude or east of 1800 E. longitude. Within the authorized area,

however, an extensive long-line fishery is conducted.

The waters about the Hawaiian Islands provide favorable conditions for a dependable concentration of these commercially important fishes throughout the year. Early Japanese immigrants recognized the potentialities of the Hawaiian Archipelago as a fishing ground for many of the oceanic fishes; however, it was not until the year 1917 that a Japanese fisherman by the name of Imose, began exploiting, by means of long lines, the sub-surface levels for the large tunas in the waters off the Waianae coast of Oahu. Following the introduction of the Japanese long-line technique, it became possible to exploit the coastal and offshore waters more efficiently. Thus, the Hawaiian tuna fishery, which had previously been limited to surface fishing by trolling and pole and line, expanded considerably, once it was demonstrated that these large oceanic fishes occurred in sufficient abundance to support the present existing commercial fishery.

Source: Catch records of the Territorial Division of Fish and Game.