The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-10-24

AL those under he American Tag
are naturallzed Portuguese = fear
these four-ounce squids more than
anything else in this world. When
fishing. the squids are flying about
them Ike hooked bullets One
eyed and scar-faced tuna fisher
men are common. It's not rare
10 have the squid break from the
fish and whlz clean through the
fhree-quarter-inch wooden awning
which protects the chummer and
his helper. working behind and
above the fishermen.
The fishermen use = 1o-foot
bamboo pole. about four inches in
diameter It the butt A stout
four-foot linen line and foot Of
piano wire connects the pole and
squid
The chummer scatters live bait
expertly from his position. and the
feeding goofy fish strike the squids
at the waters surface. On the
average. one fisherman win land
three fish a minute.
Tuna ~ rs pounds Is one
pole fish: those 25-s5 pounds are
two-pole two men. poles and lines
to the same squidl fish: s5-150
pounds are three-pole fish. Tuna
run in uniform schools.
Three kinds Of live bait for
cumming arc used sardines when
fishing local within 500 miles) Of
San Diego; ssllemas caught with
aid or purse-seine-type net and a
diving helmet around the bottom
rocks Of the Galapagos islands: an
chovettas caught with the same
net (but no divert along the Mexi-
can and central American coast
The net used is called a lam
para, and Is about $50 feet long.
A big skiff and a motor launch
is used for handling. Getting bait
is almost the important operation
that trolling and SEEMING for
salmon are.
Loaded with her tanks fun of
live bait, fuel and stores. when
the Western Pacific gets to San
Diego next week she'll make one
or two trips local. She'll visit |
such far-flung ocean shoals as
Uncle Sam Bank. Alijis Rocks,
Olympia Bank, Roca Partiza, Soc
coro islands. That may take a
week or a month.
Then the Western Pacific will |
really go fishing. Aboard will 60 |
fuel and stores-S4. 800 worth-to |
last three months. Her matches
full Of live sardines and her decks
awash THAT submarine effect
would give US a nervous break
down before long) she'll lay a
course for the Galapagos.
But supposing there are no tuna
Whereabouts just then, with her
powerful radio she'll speak her
code ship"-her unofficial part
ner fishing off the central Amer
lean coast. All tuna clippers have
their code ships, with whom they
compare notes in code, and which
ever one is with fish, the other
one cuts goodly way across the
Pacific ocean to join.
The average tuna trip Is As days
Git takes at least Is days each
way to the Galapagos) with never
touching land. Clippers have stay
ed out four months without get
ting a load and without landing.
Only layup times the clippers get
is during the overhaul holiday time
of December, and. IL possibles the
week long Portuguese religious
fiesta in June.
The Western Pacific will carry
$50 tons of tuna, for which the
going price is 500 a ton, or s1s.-
900 a load. System is to deduct
expenses from her gross per trip.
then split the remainder half to
be divided equally among the crew
and half to the clippers owners.
Tuna fishermen earn an average
of $1,000 each per year.
At sea and under way, the West
ern Pacific carries a master. chief
engineer, cook, radioman and nine
The fishermen are split
into watches on deck and in the
engine room. Tuna fishing vessels
are kept up like yachts.
When fishing, every last man
jack except the engineer turns-to
and fishes. The boat is stopped
when fishing. The engineer is
kept on the hop with his circulate
ing pumps, brine valves. auxiliaries,
etc.
Tuna fishing is emphatically a
young mans game. They either
hit IT lucky and get their own
clipper or retire. or the sharks get
them on one of the frequent times
they fall OF the racks and over
board-for it's a professional dis
grace to lose your pole. even II
you happen TO snag a shark or
porpoise, which is often.
They say it's a dogs life