The extent of the marUn migration is far more Hmited than that of 

 swordfish. Their range is throughout Zone I and somewhat south of Anto- 

 fagasta in Zone II. None are reported in the northern part of Zone III. The 

 duration of their stay is quite short, roughly the months of March, April, 

 May and early June. However, in some years a few marlin are in evidence 

 as early as February in the Tocopilla-Iquique area. They are practically 

 non-existent in these waters after July 1. It is assumed that they proceed 

 from south to north, following the current. The marlin range much closer 

 to shore than the swordfish, preferring the belt of green water inside the 

 clear blue. The expedition also discovered that they seem to occur in great- 

 est numbers in the areas of warmer water, and feed more actually here. In 

 some years the catch of marlin may be as much as a third that of the 

 swordfish, but the average is about 20 /( . The selling price is 40 to 45% 

 that of swordfish. 



One hydrographic feature of Chile must be remembered in considering 

 the fisheries. There is no continental shelf, since the coastal range of the 

 Andes enters the sea at a steep angle, and from the border of Peru south- 

 ward for nearly 600 miles the 100 fathom curve will be found about one- 

 half to three miles offshore. In this stretch, uninterrupted by banks or is- 

 lands, it is natural to assume that the swordfish and marlins will follow a 

 pattern of temperature, salinity and food conditions most suitable to their 

 needs. 



Peru 



General. This expedition, during its two and a half months operation 

 in the waters of Peru, was based at Talara (Figure 10), which is the princi- 

 pal refining and oil shipping port of that country. 



This area was chosen for the study of billfish in Peruvian waters because 

 it is the heart of that type of commercial fishing and the black marlin 

 caught here are the average largest in size found in any part of the world. 

 Both the black and the striped marlin occur here every month of the year, 

 and the area has also two distinct runs of swordfish, in the summer and the 

 winter seasons. 



Since 1947 several seafood companies have been established at Man- 

 cora on the north of Talara, and at Paita on the south. These enterprises 

 are primarily devoted to the catching of swordfish and tuna. This industry 

 has flourished rapidly in recent years. It appears now with the tremendous 

 demand for fish sticks and fillets in the United States that it may be com- 

 mercially profitable to develop bottom fishing on a large scale. Both Man- 

 cora and Paita have very modern refrigeration and packing plants. The 

 leading company is the Wilbur-Ellis Corporation of San Francisco, which 

 initiated the first commercial swordfishing operation in 1947, and has stead- 

 ily expanded ever since. 



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