On Some Regional Aspects of Japanese Fishing from a Point of View of Motorization of Fishing Boat

Abstract

In Japan, the motorization of fishing boat started in the late years of Meiji Era. It was the most important motive on the recent development of Japanese fishing: the process of motorization of fishing boat was not only attended with the development of off-shore fishery, such as bonito angling, tuna long-line fishing, trawling, KISENSOKOBIKI-a kind of trawling by wooden boat-, and purse seine fishing etc, but with the great much increase of fishing production. On the other hand, it brought much prosperity in the coastal fishery, although it started far later in the middle years of Taisho Era at the small boat which employed to.The writer much inquired into the process of motorization of fishing boat in regional differenciation to draw some regional aspects of Japanese Fishing, and was led to the conclusions as follows:(1) Central Pacific Coast (from Wakayama Prefecture to Chiba Prefecture)-it marked much advantage of the motorization of fishing boats, both bigger which employed to off-shore fishery and coastal smaller, and forms the most advanced region. By the preceding development of bonito angling, the motorization of fishing boat started in this region, and cover the all times it has led the development of off-shore fishery, which are bonito angling and tuna long-line fishing. The advantage in this region in fishing has been supported with the facilities of transportation to the great market, with demand for fish by the abandance of municipal population, and with the facilities of penetration to fertile off-shore fishing ground.(2) Northern (from Ibaraki Pref. to Aomori Pref.) and Southern (from Tokushima Pref. to Kagoshima Pref.) Pacific Coast-it marked much advantage of the motorization of big boat but considerable disadvantage of small coastal boat, in these regions. These regions have no advantages of the facilities of transportation to the great market, and have not much demand for fish due to luck of large cities, but the big boats employing off-shore fishery can land the fish they caught at the large markets, on the other hand, smaller coastal boats can not.(3) Western Coast of Sea of Japan (from Ishikawa Pref. to Shimane Pref.)-it marked considerable disadvantage of big boat and small coastal boat in this region. Off-shore fishery is not so prosperous due to poverty of Sea of Japan, and this region has only middle class boats in scale. On the other hand, coastal fishery is considerably prosperous due to conciderable facilities of transportation to market.(4) Eastern Coast of Sea of Japan (from Toyama Pref. to Aomori Pref.)-it marked much disadvantage of both big and small boat in this region, and formed the most disadvanced region in fishing.(5) Inland Sea Coast-it marked much advantage of only small boat in this region. The Inland Sea has no room to develop off-shore fishery, then big boats are quite absent. But its coast has many cities with much demand for fish, coastal fishery is much prosperous, and the transportation is quite convenient through the water way.