A Classification of Fishing Ports in Tohoku in Reference to the Grade of Function

Abstract

The functions of fishing ports include the function as market of fish, the function as the base for going-out-fishing-boasts, and the function of supervision of the ports.In this study, the function of supervision of fishing port is excluded as it is subordinate to the functions as a market and as a base. The function in respect to processing of products such as freezing, cold storage and ice-manufacture is treated separately from above mentioned categories.In a fishing port, there are many establishments, the existence of which is attributed to the functions of the fishing port. The criteria of the establishments the author selected to classify fishing ports are as follows :1) : Amount of dealings in wholesale trade of fishing products.2) : Capacity of freezing, cold storage and ice-manufacture, and number of fish-processing plants.3) : Number of employees in fishing gear shops, capacity of oil supply, shipbuilding capacity and number of iron-works for shipbuilding.It is the author's intention, that the size of the fishing ports in Tohoku will be indicated with indices showing their ratios to the average concerning each criterion. The indices are classified into following grades ; A) : more than 10, B) : 10-5, C) : 5-1, D) : 1-0.5, E) : 0.5-0.1, F) : less than 0.1 and G) : zero. Next, the grades of three categories of function in respective fishing ports are summarized, and fishing ports are finally classified into four ; large scale, medium scale, small scale and minute scale.Generally speaking, fishing ports are differentiated from minute to large in their scale, corresponding to the difference of the nature of fishery. For example, the overseas fishery are tied with special fishing ports of large scale, and the coastal fishery by fishermen operating on a minor scale are connected to special fishing ports of small and minute scale.The pattern of distribution of fishing ports in Tohoku is different between the Japan Sea coast and the Pacific coast. On the Pacific coast, there are many ports with all sorts of scales, in contrast with the dispersed distribution of small and minute scale fishing ports on the Japan Sea coast, except a few ports of large scale, situated at river mouths, e.g. Niigata, Sakata etc.