Abstract
From the viewpoint of occupational health, investigations on the salmon-trout fishery in the North Pacific Ocean were carried out during April to August in 1964, examinees being 22 members of the crew of the A-maru, an independent sail fishing boat operating from a home port. Many of them were found to have a cardiac hypertrophy and, at the end of the fishing period, they showed decrease in the body-weight, tendency to anaemia, hearing loss, increase in CPT (cold pressure test) swing degree, lowering in TAF (target aiming function), increase in the incidence of occupational diseases as contact dermatitis (so-called Shio-kabure) and tendovaginitis, and noticeable increase in hyperacidity. It is considered that these symptoms came from, on the one hand, the increase of the mental and physical stresses due to over-time and over-load work of fishing, confined mode of life in a rather abnormal environment of a boat, continued psychological strain under international control of the salmon-trout fishery in the North Pacific Ocean, and, on the other hand, they were caused by the unbalanced nourishment unavoidable in a long-term sailing. Fishermen of older ages tended to be worse in health status. This fact may be discussed with regard to the recommended age for fishing work or the premature aging in fishermen. It was an indication of the level of their knowledge about the prevention of veneral diseases that 23% of the crew were positive in the Wassermann reaction. Almost all members of the crew were married, so the conjugal infection of the diseases and consequently, the influences on the next generation should be a matter of concern.
