CARRIBEAN ARE& — VENEZDEU, 



reaching the Tucatan Peninsula. Since we are here concerned with the coast of Venezuela, 

 the future course of the current -will be dealt with elsewhere. It will suffice to say here 

 that these currents continue, finally forming the Gulf Stream. 



As the eqixatorial current sweeps along the Brazilian and Guiana coasts, it picks up 

 and transports vast qxiantities of nutrient salts from tbe effluents of the great rivers of 

 this region — the Amazon, Uaroni, Coxirantine, Essequibo, and Orinoco, With these increased 

 amounts of nutrients, the water becomes murky and oftentimes pea green with plankton, and 

 great schools of pelagic fish feed on the margins of the current. Extensive areas for 

 bottom fishing are to be found on the Guiana coast and these are now fished to some extent. 

 A small part of the current sweeps through the Serpent's Mouth into the Gulf of Paria and 

 picks up additional salts from several mouths of the Orinoco and from other streams flowing 

 into the Gulf. It then possibly forms part of a swirl or eddy in the Gulf and finally 

 reaches the Caribbean through the Bocas between the Venezuelan mainland and Trinidad. The 

 Giilf of Paria, shallow and rich in nutrients, is comparatively little fished except on the 

 Trinidad side, but even here inci^ased fishing could be supported without danger of 

 ijimediate depletion* 



The current continues along the coast of Venezuela between and outside of various 

 islands which 1^ offshore — Los Testigos, Los Hermanos, Blanquilla, Orchila, Los Roques, 

 Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba. Inshore and almost parallelling the 100-fathom line is a 

 counter current which is joined by swirls to form a massive eddy around the island of 

 Tortuga, Until an intensive survey can be made of the Venezuelan coastal waters, little 

 more can be said of the local currents. Enough data are at hand, however, to show that 

 the cur]?ents are to a great extent responsible for a tremendous abundance of fish. 



Bottom area within the 100-fathom ctirve : — Venezuela has a relatively large area of 

 bottom diallower than 100 fathoms along its coast. In addition there are two large, more 

 or less enclosed bodies of water — Lake llaracaibo and the Gulf of Paria — as well as smaller 

 ones such as the Gulf of Cariaco, Unare Lagoon, Gulf of Coro, and others. There is 

 approximately 1,750 miles of coastline. The 100-fathom curve is only about 6 miles off 

 La Guaira but about 60 miles off in the neighborhood of Barcel(Xia. In total, there are 

 about 35,000 square miles of bottom area within the lOO-fathom curve. 



Mixing of waters ; — ^A chain of islands lying from about 15 to 80 nautical miles off- 

 shore serves to break up the currents and assists in the mixing of the waters. Such up- 

 welling as does occur will probably be found in these rather limited areas. Since the 

 prevailing winds are the northeast trades which push the surface waters onshore these is 

 little likelihood of upwelling on the mainland coast. 



Ecology 



Venezuela's marine environment presents a nui±ier of distinct ecological units. 



Western area i — From the Colombian border to and including the Paraguana Pensinsula 

 there is a wide coastal strip of barren desert. Most of the Lake Maracaibo area, however, 

 is a low, swampy jungle with innumberable lagoons and channels. Mary fresh-water streams 

 and rivers enter the Lake particularly in the southern end. Lake Maracaibo itself is very 

 shallow mostly with mud and sand bottom and with varying degrees of salinity from the head 

 to the mouth. The Gulf of Venezuela is also shallow as far seaward as the latitude of 

 Aruba. The greatest reported depths run from 5 to 7 fathoms to seaward and around 10 to 20 

 fathoms within the Gulf. The principal species reported in the catch of this area are 

 curbinas, cazones, lizas, bocachicos, pez espada, robalos, bagres, and armadillos. This 

 indicates that the major fishing emphasis is placed on shore fishes with very limited 

 migration tendencies and on fishes which are to be found in salinities of varying degrees. 

 It is also known that tremendous quantities of anchobetas and sardinas are to be found. 

 The offshore pelagic fishes such as the tunas are missing. Because of the prevalence of 

 shore fishes, little effort is placed on other species such as tunas or on ground fishes. 

 The abundance of such easily caught fish make it unnecessary for the fishermen in the 

 Maracaibo region to go far afield, and it is known that large banks where groupers and 

 snappers abound are scarcely touched. In addition there are indications that runs of 

 offshore pelagic fish are to be found in the outside waters since stragglers occasionally 

 come into the Gulf. This is demonstrated by occasional catches of carite and Jureles. 



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