FISHING THE PACIFIC 



THE COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN 

 OF CHILE 



Like all the commercial men I have met wherever I have 

 fished, these native Chilean fishermen are great fellows. They 

 always call the rod-and-reel fisherman over and give him a 

 chance to bait a fish first before they attempt to harpoon 

 him. This is typical of the good sportsmanship evident 

 throughout this charming land. In return, if a rod-and-reel 

 angler raises a fish that refuses to strike he always hails a 

 commercial fisherman who takes over. 



In the clear water outside of the Humboldt I've seen the 

 professional swordfishermen attempt to bait a fish with a 

 hand line because the water is so clear that they realize they 

 can't throw a harpoon into him before he goes down because 

 he has spied the boat approaching. 



These men traditionally go barefoot and venture out in 

 their little boats with practically no food or water aboard. 

 They cruise up and down the coast for from two days to a 

 week at a stretch— sometimes going northward and south- 

 ward for as much as 150 miles. When they catch fish they 

 stow them aboard their tiny craft and sleep on top of them 

 at night on burlap bags. If they are near Iquique with a full 

 boat they run in to sell the fish there, thus providing more 

 cargo space for their return to Tocopilla or vice versa. 



Their engines are so poor and so old it's a wonder they 

 ever run so long over such distances. Some of them go out 

 in sailboats and when they are on the fishing grounds they 

 row down on the swordfish and marlin. We often gave these 

 fellows a tow in and out of port. 



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