Development of marine resources, especially tuna, is the key to the national development of the many newly independent states of the South Pacific which have industrialized fishing through joint ventures between host governments and multinational corporations. Based on two years' field research, this report illuminates the first decade (1971-1981) of a tuna fishing joint venture between Taiyo Gyogyo of Tokyo, the largest fishing company in the world, and the Solomon Islands Government. The report describes the history and operations of Solomon-Taiyo Limited, and the subsequent formation of National Fisheries Development, a second joint venture specifically devoted to the creation of a national Solomon Islands fishing fleet. A detailed examination is made of the two poles of industrialization. The first pole is the internal dynamics of the joint ventures, the manner in which Taiyo's capital, expertise, management, and world marketing networks are coupled with the human and natural resources of the Solomon's. The second pole is the national work force. The report explores how workers' cultural backgrounds determine their work habits, expectations, and aspirations, as well as the social pressures they must shoulder as citizens in both modern and traditional worlds. (Author abstract, modified).