THE CARIBBEAN ARM — VENEZUELA 



positions among food comn»dities and dried shrimp and shrimp meal inay find favorable markets . 



Fertilizer, fish meal, and oil from Lake Maracaibo, anchovies and other fishes would 

 find ready sale in all Latin America. A local source of fertilizer of this type and meal for 

 stock and poultry feeding would have pilce advantages over imported products. The Caribbean, 

 with its economy based on agriculture, should be receptive to an extensive trade with Venezuela 

 in fertilizers and fish meals. 



Possibilities in the use of shsirks have not been fully explored. Salted and dried shark 

 meat has been produced in quantities for several j-ears, but the industry that produces this 

 product relies on income from other exported shairk products for the support of its operations. 



A considerable export trade in shark-liver oil shark fin, hides, and teeth was created 

 before Caribbean shioping shortages halted transportation to markets in the United States, 

 Unless transportation for these products can be made available and prices for their United 

 States sale kept at s\ifficiaitly high levels, it is coubtful if shark fishing can be engaged 

 in profitably until after the war. Salted and dried shark meat appear to make a very good 

 product but the ssile of this item alone possibly cannot be sufficiently remunerative to 

 justify continuance of shju-k fishing on a large scale, 



RECCMMENDATIONS 



Vaiezuela is relatively far advanced in the use and management of the fishery resources. 

 An excellent framework of organization, regulations, and activities has been provided in the 

 Uinisterio de Agricultura y Cria. Ttie Government of Venezuela appears to realize that the 

 fishery industry is an important segment of the economy of the country and that resources hold 

 considerable promise for further development. Venezuela produces practically all of its 

 nationally-consumed fishery commodities, 



Uhile the present state of development is ccanmendable, it is apparent that there are 

 great possibilities for increased utilization of the fishery resources. Even with a large 

 fishing population and a well-established system of trade in sane fishery commodities, the 

 use of the resources has not been commensurate with the possibilities. In the opinion of 

 the Mission, the people of Vaaezuela do not seem to realize that there are vast quantities 

 of valuable ilsh and shellfish now unused. Venezuela has an internal market that is able to 

 absorb much larger quantities of fishery products. Moreover, Venezuela's neighbors in the 

 Caribbean and in North America offer a promising market. Through planned development, 

 V«iezuela can ijiQjrove the economic status of her coastal population, can better the national 

 standards of her citizens, and increase her importance in the commerce of the world. 



The following recommendations indicate how Venezuela can expand her utilization of the 

 fishery resources. 



General Recommendations 

 It is recommended that: — 



1. The Servicio de Pesqueria be strengthened by the addition of the best technically 

 trained personnel available. Wnile the structure of the Servicio de Pesqueria is well fitted 

 for its responsibilities, it appeared that it was deficient in some particulars. There was 

 an obvious lack of personnel trained in the fishery sciences (aq\iatic biology, technology, 

 engineering, and economics). This factor iias been the main contributing cause to a retarded 

 growth of the fishery industry. Credit must be given to the Venezuelan Government of recent 

 years for stimulating and initiating fishery enterprises, but their efforts nave been in- 

 complete insofar that they have not provided for basic research on the character and extent 

 of the fishery resources, in^jroveinent of production and processing techniques, and distribution 

 and consumption of fishery products. Altnough the prosecution of the fisheries and the attendant 

 processing and distribution activities are being carried on by private enterprise, the Government 



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