A Samoan woman paddles the canoe (paopao) as two companions tend a fish trap constructed of wire netting on the reefsnear Pago Pago, American .

American Samoa

SAMOA AND PAGO PAGO (pronounced F i sh eries Pango Pango) are perhaps best known from the short story by W. Somerset Maugham as the place where the notorious Sadie Thompson once plied her trade. Indeed, one may wonder why we have a chapter on the fisheries of American Samoa. Man) Americans are probaldy not aware that important fisheries are conducted from these romantic South Pacific islands.

310 The Samoa Islands are ethnically and rine features of the Samoa Islands are culturally allied but politically divided. like that of many other volcanic islands. The seven islands known as American Sa- Hardly any Continental Shelf exists moa became a territory of the United around the islands and water depth States in 1900 when leading Samoan plunges fairly rapidly away from shore. chiefs negotiated a deed of cession. Other Narrow coral reefs, irregularly interrupted islands in the Samoan grouplocated in places, encircle the high islands. The is- about 80 miles to the west-comprise lands are bathed by the waters of the Western Samoa, which is now an inde- warm, sluggish South Equatorial Current pendent nation. system. The temperature at the sea sur- American Samoa, with a population of face around the islands changes with sea- 27,000, includes Tutuila, where Pago sons from about 75' F. to 86" F. Pago is located; Aunu'u; the Manua group, which includes Ta'u, Olosega, and THE COASTAL REEF-FISH FAUNA of the Ofu; and Swains and Rose, both of which Samoa Islands is part of the vast marine are tiny coral atolls. The combined land zoogeographic fauna centered around the area of these islands is only 76.2 square East Indies. The shallow coastal waters miles, or about one-sixteenth the land in and around the coral reefs of Samoa area of our smallest state, Rhode Island. abound with many colorful fishes. More The main islands, which are of volcanic than 600 species of fish are known to in- origin, rise abruptly from the sea in a series habit these waters. Although the species of ridges. Tutuila, the largest, is a non- are numerous, only a few are of economic descript, irregularly shaped piece of land importance. about 18miles long and 6 miles across at Unlike temperate regions-where rela- its widrst point, located near latitude 14" tively few species are the basis of large S. and longitude 170" W. It is many hun- fisheries-in tropical Samoan waters the dreds of miles away from any familiar myriad of fish species support almost no points of reference, being about 2,300 local or indigenous commercial fisheries. miles southwest of and 1,600miles The customs, mores, and traditions of the northeast of . Samoan people probably precluded the The one exciting feature of Tutuila is need for commercial fishermen. The ex- a drowned valley on the southern side- tent to which the ancient traditions have Pago Pago Bay, which nearly bisects the been diluted is unknown but in Samoa a island. The bay is without doubt the custom exists where many material finest and most beautiful harbor in the goods-including necessities for subsist- South Pacific. It is large and deep enough ence, like farm produce and fish-are to accommodate vessels of any size, and is shared by the families in villages. now the home base for a fleet of com- The tradition of sharing is part of what mercial longline fishing boats. is known as the chief (matai) and family Though the ages of the Samoa Islands (aiga) system. Aiga (pronounced ainga) are not known, geologically the most re- has a broad definition and includes not cent is believed to be the westernmost, only the immediate family group of father, Savaii, in the Western Samoa group. The mother, and children, but all distant rela- oldest islands are the easternmost Manua tives. The aigas can assume huge propor- group of American Samoa. The subma- tions, for a typical Samoan family is

31 1 312 large even without including all relatives. Hawaii) expedition, described Samoan Apparently, at least at one time, certain fishing methods and implements in great kinds of work including house building detail. and fishing were traditionally done by Of interest is Buck’s account of members of guilds. Some of the fishing Samoa’s only “high-seas fishing” en- guilds were composed of members of royal deavor, “bonito” fishing as practiced in lineage. There were also village fishing those days. Bonito (atu) , as skipjack tuna guilds. The rights of membership in the is known locally, was fished from a bonito royal guilds were handed down from gen- canoe (paopao) . During the season, a eration to generation. The Samoans are fleet of several canoes went out during able to trace the origin of the guilds to the hours of darkness in order to be on the the original senior fishermen, partly his- fishing grounds just beyond the reefs by torical and partly legendary. daybreak. Each canoe, with up to three The catches made by fishing guilds men, had a pole with a barbless hook- were shared by the aigas in the villages. fashioned from pearl shell-trailing in It is uncertain whether members of the the water. fishing guilds received any monetary pay- After locating a school of skipjack, by ment for their services, but it appears first sighting a bird flock or by noticing that members of builder guilds did re- ripples on the water surface, the steers- ceive food and monetary gratuities. It is man headed the canoe into the midst of certain that many customs and traditions the school. When a skipjack was hooked, are being altered or lost, especially in the the rod was lifted by the steersman, who more urbanized sections of American swung the fish into the canoe. “Atu-e” Samoa. One authority on Samoa, how- (“a skipjack”) was the cry that then rang ever, noted in his book published in 1962 out through the fleet. The fishermen con- that a number of fishing guilds still tinued furious paddling in order to keep existed. It is probably true that some pace with the rapidly moving schools. form of organized fishing is still practiced There were times when the canoes worked in outlying villages. all day without any luck. On occasions the canoe came home so loaded that the METHODS EMPLOYED BY AMERICAN fishermen had to guide their craft in SAMOANS TO CAPTURE FISH AND SHELL- through the reef by swimming alongside. FISH from coastal areas surrounding the This primitive type of skipjack fishing is islands have changed little over the years. still practiced by the Samoans, partic- Te Rangi Hiroa (Peter H. Buck), who ularly those on Manua. The canoes, how- visited American Samoa in 1927 on a ever, leave the confines of sheltered waters Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Honolulu, only during the calmest weather. AS in other parts of Oceania, Samoans comb the reefs for fish and shellfish in A Samoan woman cracks a piece of coral to various ways. They may simply grope be- extract a hidden sea urchin. Women and tween the rocks and coral with bare hands youngsters comb the reefs around American or use devices like spears, traps, nets, and Samoa for many kinds of shellfish for use as hooks. Raniboo pole fishing is a popular food and to make shell leis and trinkets that will be sold to tourists. Few Samoans have method of catching reef and inshore commercial fishing enterprises. fishes. It is a common sight to see

313 Samoans fishing off the piers surrounding their own commercial fishing enterprises. Pago Pago Bay at night, using the light A description of the fisheries of Ameri- of a gas lantern to attract the bigeye scad, can Samoa would not be complete with- a favorite food fish. During the night out mentioning palolo, although it is not Samoans may handline from canoes for even of potential commercial importance. bigeye scad and during the day for other Palolo are wormlike sacs of eggs and species like the barracuda and dogtooth sperm of a sea annelid. The sacs are freed tuna. by adults at predictable times either in Traps made of wire netting are con- October or November. Freed sacs swarm structed along the reefs, usually in or neax to the surface in wriggling masses. The a small channel. Long sections of wire net- sacs are about a sixteenth of an inch in ting are strung out in a V-shaped pattern, diameter and may be a foot or more in with a circular or rectangular enclosure length. Female palolo are filled with eggs about 5 to IO feet in diameter at the apex. which are green; male sacs are filled with The traps are used principally to capture reddish-brown sperm. such fish as mullet and jacks. Set nets and Palolo are greatly esteemed by Samoans, throw nets are used over the reefs and who look forward to the annual surface sand flats for mullet and other estuarine swarming with great anticipation. The species. Spears are used to capture fish appearance at the surface-usually once and octopus. a year and then only for a few hours in the Shellfish are collected both day and middle of the night-creates great excite- night along the edges of the reef for food ment as young and old alike, armed with and for making shell leis and trinkets, scoop nets, pails, and other simple imple- which are sold to tourists. ments, go out on the reefs to collect their Nearly all fish and shellfish taken are share of the delicacy. for personal consumption. On occasion, Large quantities of palolo are eaten when the catch is larger than the amount raw by the natives. Palole-characteris- needed, the Samoans may place some on tically salty-can be cooked with chopped sale along the roadside. onions or scrambled with eggs. In 1966 a fish market was built at the public marketplace in Pago Pago by a THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF AMERICAN group of Samoans. The market is SAMOA are conducted by outsiders. In equipped with a walk-in freezer and two I 949, even before it was known that a siz- chest freezers. Since local commercial able tuna resource existed in the South fisheries do not exist, frozen fish obtained Pacific Ocean, or before there was any from the tuna canneries is being placed significant exploitation of this resource, on sale. Fish taken trolling by two charter the potentials were recognized by a corn- boats of the corporation, which owns the pany known as Island Packers. It leased fish market, are also placed on sale, land and buildings from the Government though this is not a regular source of sup- of American Samoa to install a small can- ply. The corporation hopes that the nery along the north shore of Pago Pago Samoans will be encouraged to sell reef Bay. An attempt was made to catch tunas fishes, lobsters, other shellfish, and other in waters near Samoa by conventional fishery products there. This development American fishing methods-live-bait fish- may encourage the Samoans to develop ing and purse seining. These methods

314 American Samoa fisheries are of two types: Subsistence fishing is conducted by natives in coastal water for reef fishes and sometimes skipjack trrna. Commercial fishing on the high seas to supply raw materials-principally albacore and yellowfin tuna-to modern canneries is conducted under contract by Jafianese, South Korean, and Taiwanese longline vessels.

failed and the cannery never began to catch tunas, the Japanese longline operation. method of fishiiig for deep-swimming Rather than have the cannery equip- tunas has been effective in harvesting the ment dismantled and sold abroad, the tuna resouices that abound in the vast Government purchased it and offered it extent of the South Pacific. In longlining for lease in the hope that its operations a long series of baited hooks is lo\vered to would some day contribute to the economy depths of as much as roo fathoms or of the Islands. In 1953, the Van Camp more. This method of fishing for the can- Sea Food Co. of Terminal Island. Calif., neries is being used today by fleets of obtained the lease with a reneival option. vessels from Japan, the Republic of Korea In the following year, operations began (South Korea), and the Republic of Mith fish delivered under contract by a China (Tailvan1. small fleet of Japanese longline vessels. In According to the 1967 Annual Report 1963, a second tuna packing firm, Star- of the Governor of American Samoa, Kist Samoa, a subsidiary of Star-Kist about 2.4 million cases of tuna, 324,000 Foods of Terminal Island, began opera- cases of pet food, 2.4 million pounds of tions with a cannery adjacent to the \‘an frozen fish, 3 g inillion pounds of fishmeal, Camp plant. and 890 cases of canned ivahoo ivere pro- Though surface fishing methods failed duced in American Samoa in that fiscal

315 year. These products were valued at $27.2 .*, .r*C . w million, of which canned tuna was $25.6 million. Fishery products accounted for over go percent of the total value of prod- ucts shipped from American Samoa to the United States that year. The tuna can- neries provide jobs for approximately 950 Samoan men and women, thus giving the economy of American Samoa a major boost. The American Samoa facility was prob- ably one of the earliest “overseas” Amer- ican tuna canning or freezing installations to be established. Besides having this dis- tinction, the Samoa-based fishery has a unique atmosphere. Envision if you will bustling unloading activities at the docks of the tuna canneries in picturesque Pago Pago Harbor. Tuna canneries there are as modern and clean as any cannery any- where in the world. Inside, in the butcher- ing rooms brawny lava-lava clad youths adroitly handle huge tunas. Neatly dressed Samoan women trim and pack tuna at rows and rows of packing lines. All this is set in an idyllic and otherwise slow- paced Polynesian island. The foreign fishing vessels, either in- Young Samoans sort a catch of reef fishes dividually or through fishing companies, taken with handline from a canoe. This simple enter into contracts with the American fishing method is typical of the subsistence fisheries in Samoa today. tuna processors for periods up to 2 years. Foreign fishermen add much color to the local scene. On the day of departure at (hachimaki) wound around his head. the end of a contracted period of fishing, Japanese longliners landing at Ameri- Japanese fishermen swathe their vessel can Samoa are of the same type as those with colorful banners. Before leaving, the that ply the world’s seas fishing subsur- vessel makes several swings around Pago face waters for tunas and for marlins and Pago Harbor-ship’s horn blaring and other billfishes. The design of a Japanese loudspeakers echoing strains of Auld longliner provides a large space forward Lang Syne (Hotaru No Hikari) . While that is free of excess deck structures. \corking at dockside, foreign fishermen Here in this large deck space is where the \vear clothing that is traditionally worn longline gear is hauled in and the fish in their home countries. The Taiwanese landed, sorted, and butchered, if neces- fisherman may wear a coolie hat and the sary, for storage in the holds below. Jap- Japanese fisherman may have a towel anese longliners fishing out of Samoa

316 range from about 70 to 355 gross tons, entirely of Japanese vessels-seven in and may be constructed of steel or wood. 1954. l'cssels from South Korea joined The Korean longliners are of relatively the fleet in 1958 and Taiwanese vessels recent construction and are all built of in 1964. In 1967, 257 vessels fished from steel along the same lines as the Japanese American Samoa for varying lengths of vessels. They are 97 to 263 gross tons. time. In the last quarter of I 967, the I 75 The Taiwanese vessels are constructed longliners then in operation were com- of wood or steel. The wooden vessels are posed of 42 Japanese, 52 Korean, and 81 generally small (between 20 to 40 gross Taiwanese vessels. tons) and are of a different design than On the longliners based at American that of the steel vessels. The steel vessels Samoa, clews range from I z men on small range up to 320 gross tons and are similar Taiwanese vessels to over 30 men on the in construction to the Japanese and Ko- larger vessels. This may appear like overly rean longliners. large crews. So many are needed, how- The number of vessels and the com- ever, because of the long hours required position of the fleet have varied over the to fish the longline gear; the crews work years. Originally the fleet was composed in shifts.

Outsiders operate the large-scale modern commercial fisheries of American Samoa. Here, a Taiwanese fisherman prepares tma longline gear for a voyage out of Pago Pago. Fishing trips may last up to 30 days and range up to 2,000 miles from port. Taiwanese fishermen unload albacore from a tuna longliner at an American cannery in Pago Pago. Fishery products, mainly canned tuna to be shipped to the United S#a#es,were valued at over $27 millon in fiscal year 1967.

On a typical fishing day the lines are the catch for storage in refrigerated holds. set at dawn, and this takes about I to 2 Albacore are stored in the round, but the hours. Up to 400 or more baskets are larger fish-yellowfin and bigeye tunas set each day. The longline, which is put and all the billfishes-are gutted. The en- out in a straight course and may stretch tire routine of setting, retrieving, and over 50 miles, is allowed to drift free with storing is repeated again only about 2 the current. The line is retrieved starting hours after the catch of the previous day at about noon and this operation may is put away. The longliners may observe take over 12 hours on a day when the this routine for 30 consecutive days on a catch is good. It is not unusual for a haul- fishing voyage. ing operation to end at z a.m. the next morning. While the fish are being hauled ALBACORE COMMANDS THE HIGHEST aboard, other crewmen begin processing PRICES xr THE CANNERIES and is there-

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- fore the principal target of the tuna fleets. off the coasts of the United States and Fishing grounds are generally chosen Japan. where albacore are most abundant rather Albacore are streamlined, fast- than where the largest catch of all tuna swimming pelagic fishes that are distrib- species can be made. On occasion, even uted over a large area. At first the long- less-choice ;ish that are caught will be dis- liners fished relatively close to the Samoa carded to make storage room for the Islands. As the number of vessels in- premiuin albacore. creased, the fishing grounds expanded Yellowfin tuna is the second most im- and, by 1956, the vessels were venturing portant species delivered to the canneries. far afield to waters southeast of the Other species taken by the fishery include Islands, some 700 miles away. The long- bigeye tuna, southern bluefin tuna, skip- liners extended their fishing grounds east- jack tuna, wahoo, billfishes, sharks, and ward about 2,000 miles to the Marquesas other miscellaneous pelagic species. Islands in 1958, which was the year of Of the tunas taken on longline, only al- greatest geographical expansion. At the bacore and skipjack tuna are wholly ac- end of 1966 the fishing grounds covered ceptable for canning. Some of the larger an area in excess of 7.5 million square yellowfin, bigeye, and southern bluefin nautical miles between the Equator and tunas (those over I 00 pounds) have a dis- latitude 30' S. and from longitude 175' tinct tendency to result in packs which E. to longitude I zoo W. are too dark to meet the high standards The fishermen have learned many set for canned tuna. The wahoo is canned things about albacore through their own specially for the local American Samoans experiences and the collective experi- and this novel product has found ready ences of other fishermen. Keen observa- acceptance. A small quantity (perhaps tions have been made on the movements, under zoo tons) of the larger tunas, bill- the geographical size distribution, and the fishes, and other species is sold to the Sa- abundance of albacore. Most of the fish- moans by the cannery operators. About ing masters make use of these observations another 1,000 tons of these fish are pur- to select fishing grounds. Smaller vessels chased by Japanese firms and trans- restrict their fishing close to home base, shipped to Japan for processing into fish because they are faced with weather con- hams and sausages. ditions and problems of supply. Albacore landings by the Samoa-based Albacore landed in Samoa weigh about fleets have gradually increased from an 20 to 75 pounds, and average around 40 estimated 745,000 pounds in 1954 to over pounds. Sexual maturity is attained be- 62 million pounds in 1967. In 1968, land- tween the ages of 5 and 6, or when the fish ings declined to 39 million pounds. are about 30 pounds. Most of the albacore Albacore are caught throughout the taken by the Samoa-based fishery are year, although in some years slightly bet- therefore mature fish. Studies of their re- ter landings are made during the latter productive habits have shown that they half of the year. This albacore fishery, spawn over an extensive area in the cen- therefore, may truly be classed as a year- tral South Pacific, generally between lati- round fishery in contrast to the highly tudes 10' S. and 20' S., and that the seasonal North Pacific albacore fisheries spawning season occurs during the south-

319 Sdrnodns are employed by two American tuna processing companies based in the Territory. A Samoan dressed in the age-old lava lava swings a 40-pound albacore irtto a cannery cart. ern summer months between November ploited population is subjected to heavy and March. fishing pressure. A decrease in albacore The catch rates of albacore have shown landings since 1968 is partly the result of some decline during the last decade. Init- a shift in emphasis toward yellowfin tuna ially, this decline was due to a decrease in during certain months when fishermen numbers of older, larger fish in the popu- prefer to fish calmer “yellowfin waters” lation-which is to be expected when a closer to American Samoa rather than the previously unexploited or lightly ex- more distant waters for albacore. To mon-

320 The cast net is a common gear used by Samoans to catch fish for the dinner table. itor the effects of the longline fishery on Our present state of knowledge indi- the resource, the staff of the Bureau of cates that at least two separate popula- Commercial Fisheries Biological Labora- tions of albacore exist in the Pacific tory, Honolulu, is regularly collecting data Ocean, one in the North Pacific and the on catch, fishing effort, and biology. other in the South Pacific, with little, if

321 any, intermingling across equatorial and the extremely difficult working con- Tvaters. The Samoa-based fishery is of ditions-Samoans are reluctant to become course exploiting the South Pacific popu- longline fishermen. lation, a population separate from the one The lease agreement between the tuna being fished by US. fishermen in the cannery and the Government of Ameri- eastern North Pacific off California, Ore- can Samoa in 1953 included a provision gon, and Washington. to train Samoans in tuna fishing with a Let LIS consider some of the differences vie\\ to eventually using local people to between the Samoa-based fishery in the catch the fish, as well as to process them. South Pacific and the American fishery In 1961,the Van Camp Sea Food Go.- in the northeastern Pacific. Foremost, Samoa, obtained a longline vessel from albacore landed in Samoa are large, Japan and operated it with a crew of mostly mature fish. These large fish are eight Japanese and 15 to 18 Samoan found at great depths in tropical and sub- trainee-fishermen. In z years the vessel tropical waters, and thus can be captured made IO fishing trips, and 106 Samoans only by the specialized longline gear. In tried their hand at becoming tuna fisher- contrast, most of the albacore landed by men. Only one Samoan remained with U.S. fishermen off our Pacific coast are the ship long enough to become a good smaller (under 20 pounds), immature fisherman. fish from the North Pacific population. Other types of fishing, say for skipjack Smaller fish are generally found at the tuna in coastal and nearby offshore surface in temperate waters where they waters, may be more suitable for the are taken by surface trolling, live-bait Samoans. At present, local fishing is on fishing, or purse seining. such a small scale that it does not begin to meet the demand of the local popula- FROM THE STANDPOINT OF SAMOA’S ECON- tion for fresh fish. Although the sea OMY it would be highly desirable for around them abounds with fish, Samoans Samoans to gradually replace foreign depend more on canned corned beef than fishermen in the tuna fishery. Samoan fish for their protein needs. It is clearly men are big, husky, and agile. They have of economic advantage to the Samoans an inherent love for the sea. Like other to develop commercial fisheries of their Polynesians, they too have a history of o\m. A thorough and systematic investiga- being seafarers. It would seem that Amer- tion of the aquatic resources may lead to ican Samoans possess all the necessary the development of a skipjack fishery ingredients to become expert longline similar to the one that now exists in the fishermen. Hawaiian Islands. Catches of skipjack The Samoans are capable plant- and possibly other species in excess of workers, having adapted rapidly to mod- local needs might be sold to the can- ern industrial requirements, but they neries for processing or may possibly be have shown no great inclination to be- exported. come high-seas tuna fishermen. Perhaps because of the nature of the fishery- STEPS TO EXPAND LOCAL FISHERIES are which necessitates long absences from now being taken by the Government of home cf 30 to 40 days on a single trip American Samoa under the provisions of

322 the Commercial Fisheries Research and tunities both for fishermen and cannery Development Act of 1964,which provides workers. Federal funds to supplement State funds for fishery development. American Samoa TAMIOOTSU, is Chief, Tuna Ecology is included under the provisions of this Program, Biological Laboratory, Bureau act. During the fiscal year ending June 30, of Commercial Fisheries, Honolulu, Ha- 1969, Federal funds of $77,100 were al- waii. He has worked on the biology and located to American Samoa. Since the ecology of tunas, including age and program was started, the cumulative total growth, spawning, and other aspects of has been $241,000. their life history. In 1961, he developed The Government of American Samoa a model of the migration of albacore in in 1966 created a position for a Fishery the North Pacific Ocean. Development Officer to supervise the pro- gram. A small fishing vessel was purchased HOWARD0. YOSHIDA, fishery biologist at in 1967 for exploratory work under the the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of command of a fisherman-captain experi- Commercial Fisheries, Honolulu, Hawaii, enced in various fishing techniques that has participated in many expeditions to may be suitable for Samoan waters. The the equatorial Pacific and waters of success of this program should go a long French Oceania and has published scien- way in stimulating the economy of Amer- tific papers based on data obtained during ican Samoa by creating more job oppor- these scientific surveys.

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