Imports from the United States dropped from 5.7 million pounds, or 

 2$ percent of the total imports in pre-war years, to only 1.9 million pounds, 

 or 18 percent of the total in 19li5. The chief imports from the United States 

 in 19U5 were canned sardines (whose volume, however, declined considerably 

 below preceding years); herring in brine, smoked, salted or pickled; oysters 

 and shellfish; cod-liver oil and others for medicinal use; and canned squid not 

 stuffed. Appendix X shows imports from the United States broken down by 

 commodities. 



Imports from Canada rose from 17 percent of the total weight in pre- 

 war years to UO percent in 19U5. Codfish and stockfish continued to make up the 

 bulk, but the increase in the overall imports resulted from larger quantities of 

 herring (in brine, smoked, salted and pickled); canned fish; and cod-liver oil, 

 imports of which were comparatively negligible before the war. 



Norway, Iceland, Great Britain and Newfoundland, prior to the war, 

 supplied $6 percent of Cuba 1 3 total imports of fish, other sea food and by-prod- 

 ucts. Since then, the imports from Norway and Iceland, which consisted prin- 

 cipally of codfish and stockfish, cod-liver oil, and herring in brine, have 

 dwindled to almost negligible levels; while those from Great Britain and Newfound- 

 land - mainly codfish and stockfish - are nil. Belgium and French Morocco 

 formerly supplied sardines and tunny to Cuba but no longer do so. 



Five Latin American countries during the war introduced their products 

 into Cuba, and in 19U5 the value aggregated close to half a million dollars, or 

 19 percent of the total. Venezuela supplied mainly sardines; Chile, sardines, 

 tunny and hake; Mexico, miscellaneous canned fish; Peru, sardines, tunny and 

 salmon; and Argentina, anchovies and other sea food. 



Imports from Portugal and Spain declined during the war years, but 

 in 19U5 they rose above pre-war levels and accounted for 16 percent of the total 

 weight. These two countries supplied chiefly canned and dry and compressed sar- 

 dines, stuffed and unstuffed squid, tunny and anchovies. 



The average import value per pound rose sharply since 1937 for all 

 kinds of fish and sea food (see Appendix Hi). 



b. Fishery products are not very important in Cuba's total exports. The 

 quantity of exports declined in 19U5 to 1.$ million pounds, or 16 percent lower 

 than in pre-war years (see Appendix XIII ). The value, however, practically 

 doubled from roughly $700,000 in 1937-Ul to 1.3 million dollars in 19U5. The 

 increase was due primarily to inflated prices for sponges and higher prices for 

 lobster and shark products. 



Lobster/ l - fresh, canned or cooked - in 19U5 totaled nearly a million 

 pounds or 6U percent of the weight of all fishery exports, as compared to 0.6 

 million pounds or 33 percent of the weight exported in pre-war years. Lobster 

 exports probably will continue to increase as a result of the elimination of 

 price ceilings in the United States and resumption of trade with European coun- 

 tries. 



7T See report no. 188, ibid. 



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