CalCOFI Reports, Vol. 11, 1967 - California Cooperative Oceanic ...

KI3I’ORTH VOLUJIE XI, 1 JULY 1963 TO 30 JUNE 1966 55are nearly constant for a length of time. (Hayasi andKondo 1962b, Hayasi 1962b).Asami (1962) estimated the monthly mortality coefficientsof the anchovy in the eastern waters alongKyusyu and Sikoku as 0.115 by fishing and 0.136 bynatural causes. He also estimated the dispersion coefficientsthat extended between -1.090 and +2.910,being much larger than the mortality coefficients inthe absolute value.Abundance of food organisms, competitors, andpredators are found to contribute obviously in determiningthe stock size of the anchovy (Yokota et al.1961, Nakai et al. 1962). It was found that theanalytical study was impractical for the anchovystocks but the estimated rates of decrease and growthof the postlarvae and immatures in the western Pacificwaters along Honsyu suggested the possibility to increasethe amount of catch (Tanaka 1960).In spite of a number of scientific works upon theanchovy, the present system of knowledges has notprovided any objective way for development of techniquesto predict the fish population as a livingresource. In other words, the biological information isnot unified as an idea since the fishery biology hastreated the phenomena only superficially, even ifmany refined techniques have been adopted.In order to consider biological mechanisms underlyingfluctuation in the catch, it is necessary to startfrom the simple fact that the fish appear in a particularplace in a particular season of the year. Thisfact must be due to the biological rules that the fishassemble in a particular way at a particular developmentalstage or yearly cycle of life, or, in otherwords, that the fish behave independently from, aswell as dependently to, the environmental conditions.The mode of assembly must be the most fundamentalbiological project of the investigations in order tounderstand where, when and how, and why, the fishappear.Up to now, three ways were adopted for expressingthe mode of assembly of fish: (1) map of distribution,(2) map of migratory route, and (3) map ofcatch. The maps of distribution and migratory routeindicate the biological rules, but are deficient in thatthey show only an aspect of life. Therefore, thesemaps, despite their biological basis, are not applicablefor indicating the most reasonable way of fishing. Themap of catch does not indicate any biological rule,because the natural and social factors are not distinguishedthere. In this regard, we must re-evaluateand criticize the technique proposed by Vinogradov(1945), who started from the work by Greene (1913).Vinogradov (loc. cit.) presents maps indicating thedensity distribution of the king crab for each of theyearly cycle of life. Indeed his maps would presentmoments to approach the biological rules governingthe assembly of the species, since the mode of assemblymust differ depending upon the yearly cycle of lifethat comprises particular physiological requirements.Unfortunately, his method did not exhibit any furtheradvance, however. The most fundamental reason €orthe deficit is that the yearly cycle of life was not con-sidered as a series of categories comprising life ofspecies, systematic fraction and developmental stage.In order to understand way of life, therefore, itis necessary to express the mode of assembly throughdrawing maps of major aspects in the life for eachof these categories. This series of maps, called fishingmap, must give the moment to approach the modeof assembly of the fish. As an example of the fishingmap, here is shown density distribution of the adultsardine in a fishing ground on the Pacific waters alongHonsyu (Figure 3). The maps indicate differenccsin the mode of assembly based upon the yearly cycleof life, not only in geographical position but also indensity (Hayasi 1965, Kubo and Hayasi 1964, TokaiReg. Fish. Res. hab., 1964). Thus works on the individualaspects must start from the fishing maps thatmay essentially express the mode of assembly on thebasis of the substantial knowledge upon the life ofspecies.The annual change in the mode of assembly thusexpressed will improve recognized substance of thelife of species. Namely, the fishing maps drawn forany particular yearly cycle of life may deform fromyear to year, The yearly deformation in the mode ofassembly have been caused by inadequate classificationof the maturation phase, or yearly changes ofthe environmental conditions or of the fishery activities.Therefore, the classification of the yearly cycleis to be inspected at first. It should be noted that theinspection of the yearly cycle of life covers the inspectionof the related categories which mutually definethemselves. Discovery of any inadequate classificationmeans advance of the investigations of the life ofspecies. If no misclassification is discovered. the deformationwill be attributed to the yearly change ofenvironments, and then of the fishing activity. Repeatingthe procedure, it is possible to examine thethree factors underlying the phenomena. Furtherconsideration on the existence of fish indicates suchseries of conceptions as community, species population,systematic fraction, migratory group, shoal andindividual. Actually the latter conceptions are morefundamental, while the biologist usually commenceshis study under the former conceptions such as communityor species population. It is necessary to treatthe conceptions from community to shoal in order toassess the species population itself, however. Similarsystems of conceptions are required for the studies onenvironments and productive power of human beings.We may be able to consider real relationships betweenfishes, environments and productive power throughexaminations of the three systems but not by directcomparison of phenomena based on the individualaspects.REFERENCES* Titles of Japanese publications without English summary aregiven in italics with the English translations given for preparingthe present paper in parentheses.Agriculture Bureau, Dept. Agr. Com. 1891-93. ‘‘Preliminaryreport upon the fisheries of Japan’’, 4 vols.Asami, T. 1953. “Studies on the spawned eggs of anchovy,Engraulis japonicus T. et S.” Contr. Nanbai Reg. Fish. Res.Lab., (1), Colztr. 19, 7 pp.