Palsson, Gisli & Durrenberger, E. Paul 1982 To Dream of Fish: The Causes of Icelandic Skippers' Fishing Success. Journal of An. thropological Research 38:227-42. PAlsson, Gisli 1983 IcelandicForemen and Skippers: Th@StructureandEvolutionof aFolk Model. American Ethnologist 10:511-28. Polinac, Richard B. & Littlefield, Susan Jacke 1983 Sociocultural Aspects of Fisheries Management. Ocean Development ondlnfernationai Law Journal 12:209-46. Pollnac, Richard B. & Poggie, John J., Jr. 1979 TheStructureof Jobsatisfaction among New EnglandFishermen.Anfhropoiogv Work- ing Paper 31. Kingston, R.I.: University of Rhode Island. Smith, Courtland L. 1981 Satisfaction Bonus from Salmon Fishing: Implications for Management. LnndEconom- ics 57:181-96. Smith, M. Estellie 1977 Introduction. In: M. E. Smith (Ed.), Those WhoLivefrom the Sea. St. Paui: West Pub- lishing. Pp. 1-22. Taylor, Lawrence, J. 1983 Dufchmen on the Bay: The Ethnohisfory of a ConfrucfualCommunify. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Zulaika, Joseba 1981 Terranova: TheEfhos andLuck of Deep-SeaFishermen. Philadelphia: Institute for the Study of Human Issues. Going Out or Staying Home Seasonal Movements and Migration Strategies among Xwla and AnlQ-Ewe ish her men' Paul Jorion Maritime Fishing in the Gulf of Guinea: The Historical Context Information on the development of maritime canoe fishing in the Gulf of Guin- ea is scanty and contradictory. It is in fact impossible to assess with any certainty whether or not amaritime fishery was inexistence prior to thecoming of Europe- an travellers and traders. Alagoon and riverine fishery was no doubt inoperation at the time of the first contacts at the end of the fifteenth century. When particu- larly clement weather conditions allowed and where no surf-"bar" constituted an insuperable obstacle to small dug-out crafts, lagoon and riverine fishing tech- niques were probably occasionally practised at sea, as is still the case today. Little more can be said. We have no evidence that the large dug-out canoes essential to the maritime fishing enterprise were in use as such in earlier times: references to such canoes2concern "war-boats" to be used only on rivers or in estuaries (Hargreaves 1984:6). Evidence relative to beach-seining at the time of the first contacts is controversial: some authors speculatethat short lagoon drag- nets in locally produced fibre may have been traditionally used for this purpose, while others suggest the deliberate introduction of the beach-seine by European settlers. ~ortu&ese and Danes are mentioned in this respect. Local linguistic usage seems to confirm foreign introduction as a common name for the beach- seine in the region is "the white man's net" (AnlQ:yPvur-dQ;Xwla: yQvQ-dQ; but also AnlQ: puta and Xwla: agPnP. I am resorting to the type Q for the open o as in "otter"). Historical evidence converges in suggesting that common use of dug-out ca- noes in sea operations developed as a consequence of local involvement in com- mercial activities associated with unloading merchant vessels in a region largely lacking harbours. The presence of a surf-bar constituted a real danger for pas- sengers and goods in inexpert hands. The early reputation of Fante, "Kru" and "Popoh" as skilled sea-farers grew from their craftsmanship at unloading ships rather than from any special ability as maritime fishermen (Tonkin 1984). Similarly, the first sizeable migrations of maritime populations were linked to such commercial activities rather than to the operation of a fishery. Develop- ing undertakings in sheltered harbours (such as Cape coast) or the building of wharfs (Lome Cotonou, etc.) attracted populations of "specialist" unloaders; such moves being sometimes encouraged by private initiative or by the colonial authorities themselves (Pliya 1980:97-98). The first authentic populations of maritime fishermen observed practising their activities on a regular basis belonged to groups who had emigrated in num-