Saganoshima is a small island that belongs to Goto-Islands in the West Sea of Kyushu. This island has 2.4km
2 land surface which is occupied by 381 inhabitants, Aug. 1970. Two settlements, Jige and Takehara, are characterized by two different religions, Buddism and Catholicism, repectively. Both the religious groups have not intermarried each other, so two different consanguineous groups have been in existence in the small island.
Historically, their subsistence economy has depended upon cultivating sweet potato and traditional fishing methods. Ten years ago, motored boats were introduced to this island, then have influenced upon subsistence activities.
Since December 1969, the author has continued the ecological and anthropological field surveys in Saganoshima, to study some aspects of adaptive relations between environmental factors and fishing activities. In this paper, the author described geography, historical background, natural environments, habitaion, population, and subsistence activities in Saganoshima, and discussed the following problems from the view point of ecological anthropology;
1. Difference of the mode of life between Jige and Takehara
2. The influence of the modern fishing (Netting by motored boat) upon the other activity
3. Comparative analysis between the modern and the traditional fishing, in relation to the natural environmental factors
Summary of results:
1. The historical backgrounds of Jige and Takehara reflect on the population structure and the location of the settlements.
Though they belong to the different religious and consanguineous groups, their modes of life are similar each other, mainly because of stability of netting activity.
2. It is shown that fishing activities are relevant to various natural factors; tide, fishing ground, climate, and the kind of species to be caught.
3. At present, Palinurus-netting is primary activity in the island. Netting has given rise to the stable procedure and the constant daily and seasonal activity-cycle in fishing-life.
In Close Season of Palinurus netting, various subsistence aetivities appear, and fishermen select the fishing method in accordance with their individual reasons. Activities for agriculture also take place in Close Season. In Harvest Season only, the netting becomes the secondary activity during two weeks.
4. The process of modernization of fishing can be discussed by comparative analysis between the netting and three traditional methods in Saganoshima (diving, Stolephorus-netting and hand-line-fishing). It is shown that stable amount of Palinurus can be obtained and the influence of environmental factors can be decreased by the modern fishing. In the traditional methods, the fishermen demonstrate their own abilities and their individual fondness, but the products are unsteady and they have to be more influenced by the natural conditions.
Finally, a general problem of population decrease in rural communities in Japan was discussed by the example of Saganoshima, from the view point of ecological anthropology.
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