with swordfish, in the area from Paita to Mancora. It is impossible to es- 

 timate the quantity since the fish are cut up on the beach and consumed 

 locally. Due to the great demand for fish locally, all types of surface sharks 

 are also harpooned. 



The expedition introduced the first experimental work ever attempted on 

 the west coast of South America in the use of the Japanese long or flag 

 line fishing gear. Due to shipping delays of necessary equipment, it was 

 impossible to start this experimentation in Chile. It was not until the es- 

 tablishment of the base at Talara and with the cooperation of the Wilbur- 

 Ellis Company, that the first sets were made. This company very kindly 

 conducted all the organization and operation of the expedition's equipment 

 under the able direction of Mr. Donald Bates, Jr., their fisheries research 

 expert. The results so far have exceeded all expectations as will be shown 

 in the section under Peru. 



From Peru northward across the Gulf of Guayaquil and along the Ecu- 

 adorian coast, commercial billfishing rapidly diminishes. A few swordfish 

 are reported from twenty to sixty miles ofi" the Salinas area during Sep- 

 tember and October and occasionally in February and March but appar- 

 ently the large schools that touch the coast a few hundred miles south in 

 the Mancora to Paita section, swing far offshore here, if they do migrate 

 this far north at all. 



The only commercial fishery in Ecuador is out of the Port of Manta. 

 This town is unique in that it is the only area of the world, as far as is 

 known, where the principal fishing operation is for black marlin. These 

 fish are caught in substantial numbers during the months of June through 

 October and in smaller quantities during other months, from Manta south- 

 westward to La Plata Island. Along with the black marlin some Pacific 

 silver or blue marlin, striped marlin and a few sailfish are caught. They 

 are shipped in the frozen state, principally to Puerto Rico. Marlin fishing 

 is done on the relatively shallow coastal shelf, but it is possible that they 

 might also occur farther ofl'shore. 



Chile 



The expedition's observations in Chile covered a period of three months, 

 from April 22, to July 14, 1954. During that time the base was main- 

 tained at Iquique, the largest commercial fishing port in northern Chile 

 (Figure 10) . About 80% of the entire Chilean swordfish catch is landed here. 

 The city also has the largest tuna canneries in South America and leads 

 the country in total capital invested in fisheries. While the entire field 

 operation of the expedition was devoted to the study of Zone I (Iquique) 

 some data were compiled concerning Zone II (Antofagasta) and Zone III 

 (Coquimbo). This information was very generously provided by the gov- 

 ernment and the local companies. (Sec Tables 1-4). 



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