South Pacific Tuna
p. 153 · Read in the full issue
Industry
Tonga Now is Interested
THE Tongan Government is re ported to be interested in es tablishing a tuna-fishing in dustry. Negotiations have been proceeding with the Van Camp Co., the new operators of the Pago Pago cannery. The plan envisages the establishment of a freezer-store in Tonga, into which Tongan fisher men could land their tuna catches.
The fish would then be transferred by the Van Camp Co. to their can nery, when sufficiently large quan tities warranted the despatch of a vessel to Tonga for that purpose.
It is reported that the Van Camp -o. is interested in the idea and s willing to co-operate—possibly jven to the excent of assisting inancially in the establishment of he freezer, if the Tongan Govern nent wishes.
The Tongan fisheries department ecently acquired a trawler in Auck and and this vessel is being used o test the fishing possibilities in he area. It is believed in Tonga hat there are considerable schools »f tuna and albacore in those waters. from Pago Pago, it *1 is reported that Samoan fishermen have shown little agerness to learn Japanese tuna ishing methods. The work is hard, lot, and far from pleasant in the mall 20 ft sail-boats which have •een brought down from the States or their use. Some Seattle tuna ishermen who came down to try heir luck, at the invitation of the r an Camp Co., have also been nable to stand up to the tropical onditions, some suffering sunstroke nd severe sunburn. These men ave returned to Seattle.
One complicating factor in train ig Samoans to fish or to engage in tilled operations in the cannery is lat, under their communal system, loney earned is turned in to the 'hief for the use of the family, hus, instead of one man working n a certain job day after day, lembers of the family take turns, hich is only fair —but certainly oes not aid in rapid training.
Following the departure of the apanese fishing fleet, which has een supplying the cannery since opened some months ago, fishing aerations have been at a standstill >r the past month, pending the •rival of another fishing fleet from ipan.
The Rev. Roger Brown and the ev. C. M. Hokin, who have given sars to the Methodist Mission in ew Guinea and Fiji respectively, 111 retire from missionary service , the end of 1954.