STUDIES ON THE SMALL COASTAL GILL-NET FISHERIES AND THEIR RESOURCES-VIII

Basing the results stated in the previous papers and some information on the spiny lobster, Panulirus japonicus, the bottom gill-net fishery was analyzed from such aspects as amount of catch, fishing gear and ground, fish populations and fishery regulations. The conclusions obtained from this study are summarized as follows: 1) The annual catch of fishes except the spiny lobster has not shown a tendency to decline in this region. 2) As compared with the other kind of gill-net fisheries, the catch per day of “kashi-ami” type gill-net is very low, and yet the daily fluctuation is large throughout a year. 3) “Kashi-ami” (a bottom gill-net) is operated almost unselectively in striking fishes, and “takasu-ami”, modified from a “kashi-ami”, selectively for fish species more or less. 4) “Takasu-ami” (high trammel net) catches additional fish populations to those caught by “kashi-ami” (trammel net). 5) The coastal fishing grounds are divided into near, middle and distant waters. The distant water is the most important and productive among the fishing grounds of the gill-net fishery. 6) Amount of the catch is relative mainly to the demersal fishes which migrate to the ground for spawning in spring and summer. 7) The coastal gill-net fishery has no need of any regulation of the fishing power for the conservation of fish resources, except the enforcing regulations for the spiny lobster.