THE VENEZUELJ^N SALT-FI3H INDUSTRIES 



The roncador of Venezuela is a variety of grunt. Relatively few are caught in Vene- 

 zuelan waters since it is not a particularly esteemed fish; c?)tches thiit are made are i-^ci- 

 dental. The flesh makes a good dry-salt product that would be salable on the export market. 

 The bulk of the production now comes from haul seines. Little is known of the seasons cr 

 areas of abundance. 



Zapatero are little cared for in Venezuela. This fish is the leather Jack ( Clignplitiss 

 saurus ) and it occurs rather extensively in this zone. It averages slightly over 12 inches 

 in length. Large schools are often observed around Isla Coche and Isla Margarita. This 

 fish is taken along with other species in haul seines but is seldom used. Experiments should 

 be made to determine if this fish would be suitable as a dry-salted product. If so, fairly 

 large quantities can be obtained. 



Tiburon is the name applied to a number of species of large sharks. In general what 

 has been written previously in regard to cazones also refers to tiburones. If properly 

 prepared the flesh is excellent as a dry-salted product and it should be readily salable 

 on most Caribbean markets. 



Western Zone 



Under-utilized varieties in the Western Zone are many and include curbina, lisa, pal- 

 ometa, pez-espada, bagre, cazones, tiburones, and other species. 



It is estimated that seven varieties of /ish most abundant in the Karacaibo region 

 could give an annual production of about 5 million kilos. This would be an increase of 

 4,460,591 kilos or about 9,813,300 pounds. Other less important varieties would add suf- 

 ficient to total 10 million pounds of surplus for export. 



The curbina is now perhaps the most important fish in the Maracaibo region and con- 

 siderable quantities are taken. In spite of this fact, however, it is certain that in- 

 creased catches could be made if additional or greater markets were available. The esti- 

 mated increase cou] d best be obtained with the present type of gear, i,e,, gill nets. 



The curbina, which belongs to the drum family, averages about 24 inches in length. 

 It is somewhat similar to the channel bass of North America's east coast. The flesh is 

 white, quite rich, gelatinous, and flaky in texture. Tremendous runs of curbina enter 

 Lake Maracaibo usually in March or Anril, but the species may be taken the year around, 

 sometimes in considerable quantities. Four to five million pounds are now dry-salted and 

 sold annually in the Andes, The keeping quality, however, is not good due to poor prepara- 

 tion. This fish makes a good dry-salted product but might be better brine-salted or canned. 

 The bulk of the yield is now caught with filetes (gill nets) and increased catches would 

 be possible with this same type of gear. 



Lisa are abundant in Lake Maracaibo and are taken in quantities for dry salting. The 

 catch, however, could be increased utilizing present gear, Lisa could be utilized best 

 as brine-salted fish and they may be taken during practically the entire year. 



There are two types of fish called palometa in Lake Maracaibo, Relatively few are 

 now captured but many more could be produced if markets for them existed. One type of pal- 

 ometa is a carangid or jack, similar to the leather Jack. The other type is a characin. 

 The former is taken in waters of higher salt concentration than the latter. The average 

 length of both varieties is 10 to 12 inches. The flesh is attractive and both types would 

 probably make good salted products — eitheT dry-salted or brine-salted. They may be taken 

 practically throughout the Lake Maracaibo area, and are reported to school at certain seasons. 

 There is no doubt that large catches can be made with gill nets or haul seines, 



Pez-espada are to be found in relatively large quantities from Paraguana to Goajira, 

 including Lake Maracaibo. They are now taken to some extent, but larger catches could be 

 made with existing gear, chiefly gill nets and harpoons. This fish is a sawfish ( Pristis ) 

 and attains a very large size — sometimes as much as 12 to 15 feet in length. The flesh 

 is very white, flaky, and not oily and has no taste or odor reminiscent of shark. The 



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