Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-09-23
HOW THE JAPS MAKE A
LIVING FROM THE SEA

In the development of its fisheries Japan is to be-
come a model for the United States. This is the conclus-
ion reached by a special agent for our government, sent
over to investigate, namely Deputy United States Fish
Commissioner Hugh NJ. Smith.
Our annual crop of marine vegetables is worth but
100000 a year, whereas in Japan these products are
worth not less than 100000 The gathering of kelp
from the rocks employs thousands of men, women and
children, and the 'kombu," as it is known when dried
and prepared for the table, is as common an article
of diet in the Japanese household as is the potato in the
United States.
Agaragar is a marine gelatin, being the product left
from boiling certain pulpy seaweeds rich in gelatnous
material. There are 500 establishments in Japan devoted
to the manufacture of "kanten," and the output last year
was 100000 pounds, valued at $750,OOO. The identical
aigae from which it is made abounds on our Pacific and
Atlantic coasts, but not a piece of it is now utilized.
The Japanese are the only people in the world to
farm a bed of the sea. Half a million dollars worth Of
p%aiatable food is produced this way. A species of red
alga, which is found in every part of the world, is artific-
tally grown by the Japanese in the thousands of bays and
inlets which abound in their country. Bundles of brush
wood or bamboo are planted at low tide in the mud flats
and in a couple of months they have gathered a crop of
aver, great plumes of wavy red sea plants, to the amount
of $156 an acre. In some years the yield has been as
high as 1910 an acre. There are 1890 acres under cult
walton to layer, employing $500 families and yielding a
crop annually valued at 100000.
Another line is the artificial culture of pearls. AS is
well known the pearl is a disease of the oyster, and re-
suits from getting some irritating foreign substance into
his little insides. 1t occurred to Professor Mitukuri, OF
the Japanese fish commission, that it might be profit
able to stimulate the troubles of the oysters by inserting
irrtants within their shells. He ingeniously inserts
small mother-of-pearl pellets between the shell and body
of the oyster, then returning the oyster to his bed, there
to remain for a period of four years, to wrestle with his
new trouble. At the end of that time a pearl of beautifui
brillancy is found in place Of the original pellet. The
professors pearl farm, in the bay of Ago, is now treating
100000 oysters in this fashion every year, and already a
very considerable output of pearls is being marketed in
all the principal cities of the world.
Near Toxic is a terrapin farm on which are raised
$4,000 terrapin a year for the market. In Japan 5000, 600
people are engaged in the different branches of the fish
ing industry, as compared with 2l50O0 in the United
States. Nearly onesixth of the population make their
living from the sea, as against onefive hundredths in the
United States. The coast and inland waters of Japan
give up each year a yield of animal and vegetable prod
uct valued at $30,OO0,000, and amounting to 10000
tons.