THE VENEZUELAN SALT-FISH INDUSTRIES 



about Bs 10,000 (3,000.00 U.S.) without the engine and certain fittings. 



By far the majority of fishing craft are oropelled by oars, paddles, or sails, depend- 

 ing on their use in the fisheries. Piraguas, used in beach-seining, are paddled. Tenders 

 for nasas and some boats used for handlining are rowed or sailed, and trolling craft are 

 sailed. Piraguas are the largest of the fishing craft — some may be as long as kO feet. 

 Few, if any of the boats used for fishing are decked and none have "acconmodations." Almost 

 all are hauled up on the beach more or less regularly and therefore do not require bottom 

 sheathing. Larger vessels which cannot be hauled up must have the bottom sheathed with 

 copper or bronze. All craft are usually well kept and painted at frequent intervals. 



Considerable numbers of outboard motors are used in some areas — especially from Chacopata 

 eastward. Many are used around Rio Caribe and Carupano. 



Lacking more recent information, the following data on the number and distribution of 

 fishing craft are taken from the Report of the Ministerio de Hacienda for 1936. These repre- 

 sent craft of from 1 to 5 gross tons registered in the Customs Houses and licensed for fish- 

 ing. The figures do not include unregistered craft, or those of less than 1 gross ton: 



Custom House Number of Boats 



Pampatar UOU 



Carupano 130 



Puerto Sucre 147 



Quanta 64 



La Guaira '. . 42 



La Vela 42 



Puerto Cabello 93 



Las Piedras 143 



Maracaibo 220 



Total 1,285 



Since the total number is doubtless much too small to represent current conditions, the 

 United States Fishery Mission of 1942 revised it upwards and estimated that at least 3,000 

 craft of all types were in regular use for fishing during 1942. It is quite possible that 

 this estimate, also, is low. Recent studies, made by the Servicio de Pesqueria will permit 

 a much more accurate estimate when the data become available. 



GEAR 



The coastal nature of the present Venezuelan fishing industry is reflected by the types 

 of gear used. Even though attempts have been made to introduce purse seines, lamparas, 

 otter trawls, and line trawls, they have not been adopted^ The traditional forms of Vene- 

 zuelan fishing gear — haul seines (chinchorros and mandingas) , fish pots (nasas), gill nets 

 (filetes), cast nets (atarrayas) and hook-and-line (cordel y anzuelo) — have, until now, 

 been able to supply all of the tocal demands for fishery products. 



The chinchorro fishery reaches its highest development in the regions of the Gulf of 

 Cariaco, Isla Coche, Isla Margarita, and Chacopata, but it is engaged in elsewhere to a 

 limited extent. Many of the nets are very long and deep, and hundreds of men, women, and 

 children are employed, in operating them and caring for the catches made. 



The gill net fishery is most prominent in and around Lake Maracaibo and around the shores 

 of the Gulf of Venezuela, but that type of gear is also used in the Eastern Zone, particu- 

 larly east of Chacopata. 



Handlining and trolling are very important around Isla Margarita, Isla Coche, at Rio 

 Caribe and to a lesser extent in the Gulf of Cariaco. These activities, however, are carried 

 on to a greater or lesser degree along the entire coast. 



In the Tacarigua and Unare Lagoons the only gear used is the atarraya. Such nets are 



U 



