THE CARIBBEAN AREA — VENEZUELA 



The following instructions were sent out to the oificials in charge of the issuance of 

 fishing permits: 



1. Each book contains 100 permits in triplicate. The red copy is to go to the licensee, 

 the blue to the Ministry, and the white is to be retained by the issuing office. 



2. These licenses replace the old ones. Consequently, the renewals should be completed 

 as soon as possible and the fishermen should be warned to use only the new ones. 



3. Special care is to be used in filling out the forms. The information should be 

 ascertained with the greatest accuracy since these data are to be used as a basis 

 for future statistical analyses. 



i^. Each office has control of the numbering of their permits, taking care to see that 

 they are issued in chronoligical order. No pennits are to be destroyed since this 

 would destroy the numbering system. 



5, It is anticipated to use these data for a compilation of the statistics of the 

 fishery industry soon and, for this reason, all reasonable prcmptness should be 

 shown. 



For this reason the central office takes the greatest interest in seeing that the work 

 contained in these instruction is carried through with the greatest possible speed and 

 accuracy. These records will constitute a major part of the efficiency ratings of the zone 

 and siib-inspectors. 



The Ministry has issued a number of statistical and license forma covering practically 

 £ill phases of the fishing industry. 



POTENTIAL FISHERY INDUSTRIES 



Unused resources and potential markets 



Reports of the Vaiezuelan Ministry of Development (Fomento) describe fishery resources 

 in that country's waters that are far in excess of present uses. Immense schools of sardines 

 "from island to island" are said to move along the north coast. These are preyed on by 

 enonnous numbers of birds and fishes. Eictensive resources, at present scarcely touched by 

 fishing operations, are described as occurring in the Gulf of Venezuela and Lake Maracaibo 

 sections as well as elsewhere. 



Existing fishing operations apparently do not tax the fishery resources in any point 

 along Venezuela's coast. Fishing methods in use are capable of producing only relatively 

 small catches of fish and operations are narrowly confined in location and intensity by 

 scarcity of population, lack of mobi]J.ty in fishing craft, undeveloped fish transportation 

 facilities, and the comparative poverty of the fishermen and their families. 



The Government of Venezuela has tried to enlarge the fishing industries and to improve 

 the lot of the fishermen. Through the Government, the saurtJine-canning industry of the Gulf 

 of'Cariaco and the Isla Margarita area was developed. Other less successful projects have 

 been instituted. Under stimulation of war pidces, export of salt and canned fish to 

 Trinidad is being accomplished. Venezuela, however, still appears to be utilizing far less 

 fish than the resources can reasonably spare. More aggressive fishinf; with advanced 

 techniques and enlargement of operation should increase the yield tremendously. 



Possibilities exist in several fields for the enlargement of commerce in Venezuelan 

 fish. These possibilities are discussed under the following heads: 



1. Fresh and frozen fish for increased local consumption and export, 



2. Salt fish for increased local consiunption and export. 



3. Canned fish, fish meal and oil, and other fish products, 



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