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Figure 13. Production of sardines in northern Chile by zones, 

 during 1948-1952. Monthly averages. 



Coquimbo, shows the major production of the year. It also shows the least, 

 but in all probability, if the same number of boats operated here as in the 

 Iquique area, the catch would be more than doubled. 



As the schools flow northward or slant in from the ocean, there is in- 

 creased production in the Antofagasta Zone, and its peak is about two 

 months later than Coquimbo. Again the number of boats and fishermen 

 involved is far less than Iquique. The fish here seem to swim farther off- 

 shore; due to oceanographical features, the clear blue water does not come 

 in as close as in the Iquique Zone and it is in this water that the bulk of 

 the fish are found. In Zone I (Iquique) heavy production occurs for the 

 longest period of the year, the majority of the fleet operating from four to 

 five months. 



At Arica, the coastal shelf of Peru is encountered and the fish swing out 

 to sea. No production is found in central and southern Peru. While it is 

 evident in all three zones that swordfish do travel from south to north, it 

 seems possible that additional fish are constantly arriving from the outer 

 ocean, especially in Zone I (and due to warmer water and better feeding 

 conditions, hold closer to the coast for longer periods). 



36 ' 



