[?]Coming

[?]e Tuna Boats [?]Coming

Prom a NZ Correspondent Auckland early May, Captain Kumagai of the 996-ton re gerated maid - of - all - work n,i Maru told a PIM rounds that a Japanese tuna fleet d by the mother-ship Kaiko a vessel of about 2000 tons would be operating this win i the Fiji-Samoa-Tonga area le usual three month period, estimated that the fleet would ! in the area before the end ay. >tain Kumagai had no in

formation on other fleets scheduled to tuna-fish south of the Line, but he said that there were usually at least two such fleets in these waters at this period. They would each number 20 to 30 fishing vessels. r’o'nfdin KnmflMi has never se?v a e P d ?n a Ul fisfsn g vessel Sagami Maru, under his command, acted as mother-ship for the Pago Pago-based Japanese tuna fleet last year for a period, though this only meant lying at the fishery wharf at Pago Pago and taking aboard such fish as was not suitable for canning.

Normally life in his small ship means long months at sea and

short days in port. Last voyage was three months between ports—south to the Antarctic with supplies for the whaling ships, a cargo of frozen whale-meat in cartons taken aboard at sea from the factory ship, then straight back home. After that back to Auckland to load a caigo of fiozen beef for San Fran cisco, From there a load of tallow for Japan, and then—if they were lucky—another assignment to Pago p a go where his company, Nippon cold Storage Co., a leading Japan ese frozen food concern with many branches throughout Japan, pur chase the unwanted fish.