The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-16
FISHERIES OF JAPAN
IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRY TO THE
 ISLAND EMPIRE.
Influence of the Sen on People, Art and Poetry of Cherry Blossom
 Ia0d.

National Geographical Magazine.
 The Japanese farmer mas been called the root of the Empire. The Japanese fisherman is hardly less important
 member of the body polite, and, as 1t ! is quite likely that fishing antedated agriculture as an industry in Japan, it
 is not inappropriate that the fisher mans story be heard before the farm er's this evening.
 ! Recent developments on land and water in the Far East have led to in- creased study of things Japanese, and we have learned of so many matters in -Svhich the Japanese people are emi> nent and pre- e-eminent that we are per haps prepared for the statement that Jaapn in various important respects is | today the leading fishing nation. and has many branches of the fishing indus f, try which are unique.
 | {. Probably in no other country Of equal rank has fishing occupied a more prominent place in the material and es- thctic development of a people. A mere | glance at the map of Japan suggests the role which would be played by the sea. A numerous population, combin ed with a very limited area of arabic land. at a very early period led to the development of important maritime in terests. Centuries ago the Japanese had become the Phoenicians of the Far East. Their fisheries grew side by side with their navigation and shipping be- came relatively more and more inn portant with the more complete occu- patton of the agricultural land. SO that at the dawn of the twentieth century we have seen the nation blossom out not only as a leader in the coastwisa and foreign shipping trades. and in fishing. but as one of the great naval powers of the world.
 To quote an American student long resident in Japan, Japanese art, poe try, romance and folklore arc full of the sea, its wonders and its possibili- ties for man. Even the ancient Shin to liturgies celebrate the blue plain of the sea, the ship and her equipment, tho fishers and their spells. Of the two gods of daily food seen in nearly every Japanese house one sits on two bags of rice. the native staff of life. and the other holds a tai or Dream fish under his left arm, while his right hand grasps a fishing pole. AThese gods arc not Buddhist or continental but are of pure Japanese origin"
 The fisheries of Japan are less valu- able than those of several other coun- tries. but they take first rank over those of all other nations (D in the actual number of persons making a livelihood thereby; CD in the relative number of persons engaged in and de- pendent on the industry: (3) in the quantity of products taken annually from the water; (D in the relative im- portance of fishery products in the do- mestic economy; (5) in the ingenuity and skill shown by the people in de- vising and using fishing appliances and preparing the catch for use: co in the extent to which all kinds of water
 
 tent to which the fisheries of foreign countries have been studied and the best methods adapted to home condi- tions: (S) in the extent to which ag- riculture has been carried: (9) in the zeal and intelligence displayed by the government in promoting the develop ment of the fisheries and the welfare of the fishing population
 From the earliest times down to the present day. fishing has supplied the staple animal foods and a large DOT tion of the vegetable and mineral foods consumed in Japan, and none of the great powers Is now so dependent on the water for subsistence. So import ant are water products and so numer- ous are their kinds and the methods of preparation, that I venture the asser- tion. from what I have seen of domes- tic life in Japan. that every day in ev-
  cry food is served-I am almost ready to say. at every meal.
 The Japanese fishermen as class are hardy, skillful. energetic. sober, self-reliant, to which qualities Is super added a spirit of bravery and patriot ism, which makes them invaluable. in- deed indispensable, in the crisis through which Japan Is now passing. With ingenuity and deftness which, It seems to me, are unsurpassed by any other people. the Japanese have de- vised apparatus and developed methods winch centuries ago brought their fish cries to a very high degree of effect iveness: but not content with this. they have within our own time superimposed upon and adapted to their own already well-nigh perefct fisheries, all that Is best and most useful in those of other countries, so that today fishing with the Japanese Is more than mere industry-it Is almost a fine art.
 Every Kind of Water Product.
 A striking feature of the Japanese fisheries. and one that might reasona- bly be expected In a people so frugal and ingenious, Is the utilization of all kinds of water products which in the United States and in many European countries are wholly or largely neg lected In the matter of eating auuat- ic animals and plants the Japanese have few prejudices, and what they do not eat they utilize In other ways. As examples l may mention marine vege- tables. to which further reference will be made, and sharks. which are among the commonest and most wholesome of the Japanese food fishes. They arc sent to the markets in immense num-