vessel's time which is obhged to deal with individual fish rather than having 

 several harpooned at the same time during a good day in the peak of the 

 season. 



The fishermen harpoon anything that shows on the surface. Conse- 

 quently, a considerable amount of black and striped marlin, and sailfish 

 are killed. Along with all types of sharks they are much in demand for 

 local consumption. There is no export of the marlin such as that encount- 

 ered in Ecuador, due to the lack of sufficient quantity. A small amount of 

 all types of billfish are killed by the fleets of sailing craft operating from the 

 various ports in the production of bottom fish. They all carry harpooning 

 equipment and sailing back and forth from their fishing grounds have an 

 opportunity occasionally to strike a fish on the surface. There was no evi- 

 dence of attempts at drift fishing for the billfish, as practiced off Cuba. Oc- 

 casionally the hand line fishermen on their balsa rafts, or from their small 

 sailing craft, hook a swordfish or a marlin, but due to the light line used 

 these fishes are almost always lost. In some seasons of the year, especially 

 in the months of February, March and April, numbers of big-eye and 

 larger sized yellowfin tuna are hooked by the drifting fishermen. A few are 

 caught but the result is about the same as that with the billfish. 



The Wilbur-Ellis Company has shown the possibility of producing mar- 

 kets for white meat fish, fillets and fish sticks. This is just approaching the 

 commercial production stage. Production of a large volume of bottom fish 

 would seem doubtful, due to the lack of a coastal shelf. 



Table 5 



Exports of Frozen Fish from Peru 



In Net Tons 



1948 1949 1950 1951 



TUNA* 



Ilo 127 



Mancora 533 1248 



Paita 279 897 2808 5044 



Talara 10 320 3172 311 



SWORDFISH 



Mancora 386 



Paita 274 200 446 1035 



Talara 140 1114 1652 86 



* All exported to U.S.A. except for 10.3 tons of tuna to Italy in 1950. 



42 ' 



