In 1990, production in INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO Okinawa recorded a total of 46,0000 t with a value of 26.6 DEVELOPMENT AND billion yen. There has been considerable development in MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, the following areas in recent JAPAN years: 1. Kuruma prawn (Penaeus japonicus) and seaweed of After the success of the fish the family Spermatochna- aggregation device (FAD) ex­ fcyM.lzumJ ceae (Nemacystus decipiens) periment in Hawaii in 1979, South Pacific Commission in the coastal waters; FADs were rapidly introduced Noumea, New Caledonia to Padfic Island countries, and 2. Payao development in off­ their development has been shore waters; recognised as one of the most Okinawa important areas in fisheries de­ 3. fisheries (by longline velopment in the region. Okinawa is located in the vessels under 20 southernmost part of Japan tons) in Micronesian waters. SPC's Coastal Fisheries Pro­ (between 24°N and 27°N) and gramme has provided technical the sub-tropical zone (Figure 1). It is generally known that support to FAD development It consists of about 60 islands Okina wan fishermen were very programmes. (Ryukyu Islands) scattered over active in fishing for skipjack, 400 km from north to south and trochus shell and other re­ This article outlines the devel­ 1,000 km from east to west, sources in the South Pacific be­ opment and management of which divide the Pacific Ocean fore World War H. payao FADs (the name payao and the East China Sea. originally came from the Phil­ Okinawa has a population of ippines) in Okinawa, Japan, about 1.2 million. and hopefully will be useful in their future development in the Pacific Islands. Due to the limited number of references available in this study, fisheries-related institu­ tions and agencies in Okinawa should be contacted for further technical details.

The author acknowledges the kind assistance of Mr Kunji Maeda, Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, Mr Shinichiro Kakuma, Fish­ eries Administration Division of the Okinawa Prefectural Government, and staff of the Itoman Fisheries Cooperative Association, the Motobu Fish­ eries Cooperative Association and the Yaeyama Fisheries Co­ operative Association.

Figure 1: Map of Japan £| SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65 — April/June '93 INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

Progress of payao develop­ However, the payao was intro­ fishing results at these payaos ment duced by the Okinawa Prefec- encouraged other fisheries co­ tural Fisheries Experimental operative associations in In Japan, there is a traditional Station in December 1980, when Okinawa to develop payao fishing method called 'Dorado's twelve payaos were deployed fisheries rapidly, and by Janu­ shelter', which is simi­ by two fisheries co-operative ary 1991134 payaos were active lar to the payao. associations. The successful in Okinawan waters (Figure 2).

25°N-

24°N-

27°N-

26°N-

Figure 2: Payao locations (*): Yonakuni Island - Miyako Island (above); Kume Island - Okinawa Island (below); maps redrawn from figures cited in Oshima, 1987.

SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65 — April/June "93 INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

It should be noted that most of Each fisheries co-operative de­ • The collection of 10 per cent these payaos are operated and ploys and maintains its own of each 's landing managed by fisheries co-op­ payaos and develops its own charges for maintenance and eratives (a total of 34 such as­ operation and management management of payaos; sociations exist in Okinawa). regulations with regard to The Okinawa Prefectural Fish­ safety, effective use and smooth • Development of fishing gear eries Experimental Station also management. Activities in­ and methods, e.g. deployed five of its own payaos clude gear must be used around a for the purpose of a payao payao in a clockwise direc­ fisheries development study • Model development, site se­ tion; and between 1982 and 1986. lection and manufacturing workplan; • Technical and information exchanges between associa­ Development and manage­ tions. ment The main aspects of payao fishing in Okinawa are: *r- • Boat tonnages are mainly less than five tons; i • Payaos are located within two hours of fishing ports, r~\ usually 19-20 miles offshore

along the 1,000 m isobath on US' the Pacific Ocean side (see Tetron re pe Figure 2); Polypropylene rope ** • A set of payao costs between 1,000,000 and 1,500,000 yen. Pressure float "®" O^^ Payao models w During the payao introduction period, ready-made payao models manufactured by well- Chain + anchor ^ known fishing gear companies in Japan were used. Since then, the models have been updated; "Y«xxxi)Qxi»o-@-ommmq^ 3- "• ' •', •', aside from those manufactured, I various other models are in use ,V such as those modified by users, and self-made models. Sche­ matic figures of some of these are shown in Figure 3.

Management

Payao deployment projects are Vw> subsidised by the Okinawan Government and municipal offices, and have been imple­ w-U mented under the authorisation ^ of the Okinawa Marine Zone Fisheries Regulation Commit­ tee since November 1985. Figure 3: Schematic figures of self-made or modified payaos used in Okinawa

SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65 — April/June '93 INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

In addition] each fisherman is drift tuna handlining) used for torn longlihe fishing which is required to report his monthly payao fisheries' are shown in more productive; This is be1 catch record to the association Figure 4.-';' cause the demand for pelagic to which he belongs: fish in Okinawa and on the Over< 750 tons of fish were main island of Japan is limited, Fishing hiethods andcatch landed from payao fishing in and because it appears that Okimwam 1986, and 1,250 tons catches from payaos are -af* Because payao fisheries devel­ in 1989 (see Table 1). In one fected by changes in oceanic oped rapidly throughout typical case, fish landings quad­ conditions such as EI Nino and Okinawa after their introduc­ rupled after payaos were de­ Kuroshio (the Japanese warm tion, the improvement of fish­ ployed. The loss of a number of current). ing techniques became a major payaos was more than com­ concern among fishermen. pensated for by the profit from Research Growing interest in preserving the catch. the freshness of fish led to in­ Much research work on payao creased co-operation between In the past few years, produc­ fisheries has been carried out by fishing businesses. The main tion from payao fishing did not the Okinawa Prefectural Fish­ fishing, methods (jumbo tuna increase because a number of eries Experimental Station since trolling, marlin trolling and fishermen preferred to use bot- 1982 (see Table 2). The average life of a payao is estimated to be between one and two years,awhile some payaos last more1 than two years because of improved mooring techniques> and thorough maintenance and management

Jumbo tuna trolling There are several theories on the factors influencirig fish aggre­ gation such asUeedirig behav­ iour, protection from predators, aggregating behaviour in shade, sound attraction, etc. One report states that payads function only as shelters for skipjack and young yellowfin tuna. The main baitnsh are not observed around payaos, and the stomachs of* skipjack and Marlin trolling young tuna caught around payaos were virtually empty.

Information on fishing and oceanic conditions is provided to fisheries-related offices in Okinawa as 'payao informa­ tion'. All survey reports have been published in the annual reports of the Okinawa Prefec­ tural Fisheries Experimental Drift tuna handlining Station.

Figure 4: Payao fishing methods BL_ SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65—April/June 93 INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

Table 1: Catches from payaos References Species 1985 1986 1987 1988 Average Fisheries Improvement and Small tuna 262.4 278.8 322.6 618.5 370.6 Extension Office, Depart­ (ilOkg: mainly yellowfin tuna) ment of Agriculture, For­ Yellowfin tuna (£10kg) 117.4 170.3 249.8 220.9 189.6 estry and Fisheries, DolphinCsh 64.0 79.2 154.6 184.1 120.5 Okinawa Prefectural Gov­ Skipjack 77.8 82.7 99.4 142.5 100.6 ernment. 1990. Annual re­ Blue marlin 96.5 117,4 80.1 59.0 88.3 port of Fisheries Improve­ Spanish mackerel 30.7 14.5 26.8 25.6 24.4 ment and Extension Office Others 30.5 43.1 34.9 35.5 36.0 in 1989 fiscal year [in Japa­ Total 679.3 786.0 968.2 1,286.1 929.9 nese]. 132 pp.

Table 2: Research conducted by the Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Hagiwara, Katustoshi, Experimental Station since 1982 Kazunari Kugai & Hirofumi Purpose Research area Survey Item Kubo. 1989. Payao survey - •Efficiency of fishing operations •Payao conditions -Confirmation of payao locations the pale, soft, exudative •Establishment of deployment •Movement of fish school •Survey on fish school (PSE) defect of yellowfin technology •Period of Slay around payaos •Fishing survey tuna [in Japanese]. 1987 •Data collection •Fish aggregation conditions •Tagging survey Annual Report of Okinawa •Fish landing at each place •Biological survey •Composition of fish species •Survey on oceanic conditions Prefectural Fisheries Ex­ •Fishing grounds •Survey on fishing conditions perimental Station: 28-30. •Experiment on fish preservation •Experiment on live bait Itoman Fisheries Cooperative Association. (undated). Conclusion The author strongly recom­ Regulations of the Payao mends that persons in charge of It is important to note in the extension work and the techni­ Committee [in Japanese]. above comments that the man­ cal development of payao fish­ 5 pp. agement and technical devel­ eries in countries in the region, opment of payaos are carried visit Okinawa. Kawasaki, Kazuo. 1984. Effects out by the Fisheries Coopera­ of payao deployment [in tive Association, the experi­ In recent years, there has been Japanese]. 1982 Annual Re­ ments and research on payaos an increasing number of official port of Okinawa Prefectural by the Okinawa Prefectural visits to Japan and training Fisheries Experimental Sta­ Fisheries Experimental Station, programmes attended by tion: 1-6. and the administrative guid­ Government officials and fish­ ance for the payao fisheries by eries officers from South Pacific Kinjyuo, Takemitsu. 1990. the Okinawa Prefectural Gov­ countries, including those on Payao fishing ground sur­ ernment. payao fisheries in Okinawa. It vey [in Japanese], 1988 An­ is hoped that the knowledge nual Report of Okinawa The fact that the payao users obtained will be put to effective Prefectural Fisheries Ex­ themselves actively participate use in the development of perimental Station: 33-37. in the development of payao payao fisheries in the Pacific fisheries is also important. Islands region. Kinjyuo, Takemitsu & Akihiro Uechi. (undated). Payao It is hoped that this article will fishing ground survey [in initiate the exchange of techni­ Japanese]. 10 pp. cal information on payaos be­ tween regional and interna­ Maeda, Kunji & Takemitsu tional organisations and fish­ Kinjyo. 1992. Payao fishing eries departments throughout ground survey [in Japanese], the South Pacific, and the 1990 Annual Report of Okinawa Prefectural Govern­ Okinawa Prefectural Fish­ ment and fisheries-related of­ eries Experimental Station: fices in Okinawa. 35-56.

SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65 — April/Jure '93 INTRODUCTION TO PAYAO DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

Maeda, Kunji & Tshiaki Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Oshima, Hiroyuki. 1988. Ex­ Watanabe. 1985. Experiment Development Fund and periment on preservation of ••••• on payao deployment [in Okinawa Prefectural Fish­ freshness of tufia[in Japa­ Japanese].1983. Annual Re­ eries Experimental Station nese]. 1986 Annual Report of port of Okinawa Prefectural 1986. Fishing gear and Okinawa Prefectural Fish­ Fisheries Experimental Sta­ methods in Okinawa Pre­ eries Experimental Station: tion: 50-51. fecture [in Japanese]. 241 pp. 50-53. Motonaga, Fumihiko. 1990. Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Oshima, Hiroyuki.(1988. Payao Progress of fishing condi­ Experimental Station. 1991. survey [in Japanese]. 1986 tions on major species in the Payao information [in Japa­ Annual Report of Okinawa payao fisheries in Okinawa, nese]. 8 pp. Prefectural Fisheries Ex­ 1985-1988 [in Japanese]. Re­ perimental Station 34-49. sources and Oceanography: Okinawa Prefectural Govern­ Research in the Southwest ment. 1988. Articles on Touma, Takeshi/ Hirofumi Sea (6): 27-39,: Fisheries Regulation Com­ Kubo, Kazunari Kugai & mittee in the marine zone [in Katuotoshi Hagiwara. 1989. Nakatate, K. (ed.) 1987. Com- Japanese]. Okinawa Prefec­ Tagging survey in payao prehensivestudy on oceanic tural Government Gazette fisheries [in Japanese]. 1987 people in Japan: I. Fishing (1700): 1; 15-23. Annual Report of Okinawa people of Itornan origin [in Prefectural Fisheries Ex­ Japanese]. University of Oshima, Hiroyuki. 1987. Payao perimental Station: 25-27. Kyushu Press. 398 pp. survey [in Japanese]. 1985 Annual Report of Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Ex­ perimental Station: 15-38.

Penaeus japonicus

SPC Fisheries Newsletter #65 — April/June '93