Fish Survey Wo

US Doing Valuable Fish Survey Wo

OVER the past two years United States Fish and WiloJ Service, as a part of its Par Ocean Fishery Investigations I ject, has been carrying out expi mental fishing and fish-taggingj the Northern Line Islands areas Latest visit to the area made in October by the resess vessel John R. Manning, which addition to fishing the waters ro Fanning, Washington, Christa and Palmyra, carried out mr tenance work on a permau automatic sea temperature recoc which was established on Christt; Island some time ago.

It is known that the migras habits of tuna and other fishi coupled with seasonal variations sea temperature at various deH‘ and the seasonal perambulation! certain well defined ocean currr like the counter-equatorial cun which flows in a rather na:i stream eastward through particular area. The fish tenti follow these food-bearing stre and especially the regions wv opposing currents meet.

On the present voyage, as others, regular sea water tempj tures at various depths recorded, and the results correl: with sights of shoals of fishd flocks of birds which follow Shoals. Most of the fish car are tagged and released again the hope that at a later date will again be caught and indicate their movements.

More than 900 yellowfin have now been tagged in the Is. area. The latest F & Report says that “it is anticipj that recapture, either by Han based vessels in the Ceis Pacific, by Japanese fisherman the equatorial western Pacifioj by the California tuna fleet im eastern Pacific, may reveal imp ant information on the migrar and growth of this commercr valuable species.”

Experiments with various fisj equipments have also been ur way in an effort to do mechanical means of handling type of long-line equipment which the Japanese have so n success. The Japanese meh call for considerable manp which would be quite unecom at American wage rates. F has made some hopeful hear on this problem. Ultimately \ work should be of consides value in the establishment off fisheries in the South P c Territories. t It is estimated that deposit; phosphate on Nauru will bei hausted in 70 years; those on O Island in about 35 years; and on Christmas Island (Indian Oo< in between 40 and 50 years.