THE CAHIBBEAl'J AREA — COSTA RICA 



usually without ice, in waterfront stores and by peddlers. In addition, between 600 and 

 1,200 pounds of fish are iced and shipped to San Jose weekly from Pentarenas. In San Jose 

 this fish is sold in several small stalls in the public market. Little fresh fish, if any, 

 reaches other interior parts of Costa Rica. All transportation is by rail. 



Exports 



During the past several years, Cost^ Rica's fisheries for home consumption have been 

 supplemented by the establishment of a comparatively large export fishery. Turtles and 

 tortoise shell have been exported (In 1939, turtles, 163,000 Kg. valued at $8,600 and 

 tortoise shell, valued at $2,197) from Port Limon to United States markets and elsewhere 

 for years, but no large-scale exportation of fish has been \indertaken. The establishment 

 of a cold-storage plant at Puntarenas (Pacific side) for freezing and holding tuna for 

 export vias accomplished by foreign capital about 1932. Tuna caught in nearby waters were 

 to be frozen solid and accumulated for shipment to tuna canneries in California. Through 

 this plant, there were about 10 million pounds of tuna exported in 1939> the most active 

 year to date. In 194.0, about A million pounds were exported. Several fishing vessels, 

 usually manned by alien fishermen, were brought in to conduct the tuna fishir^, A small 

 tuna cannery has been constructed on adjacent property. This plant canned a limited pack 

 of tuna in 19^2, all of which was marketed in Costa pica. 



In 19^0, the refrigeration plant was operating to capacity, the limiting factor being 

 a lack of transportation for frozen tuna from Puntarenas to California. Lack of shipping 

 space was still a limiting factor in 19/t2 and the smaller tuna fishing boats were utilizing 

 their time in shark fishing whenever the plant was full of tuna. The livers of these sharks 

 were being frozen for shipment to the states, 



Inqjorts 



Imports of fishery products normally amount to 700,000 pounds annually and were compos- 

 ed mainly of canned and salt fish. From this total, converted into whole, fresh-fish 

 equivalents, and combined with an estimated 1 million pounds of fresh fish consumed, it is 

 detenuined that Costa Rica's 650,000 people use about ^ pounds of fish per person per year. 

 This is a very low average when compared Tfith the rates of consumption for other nations . 



Prices 



Fixed maximum prices for fresh fish in the public market in San Jose at the time of 

 the trip of the Mission (July 19A2) were 1 colon (about 18 cents l/) per pound for fish with 

 heads attached and 1.20 colones (about 22 cents) for fish without heads. Fresh-beef prices 

 ran frcm 1 to l.-i colones (18 to 25 cents) per pound. The fixed fish prices and those for 

 beef are sufficiently high to remove these items fron the regular diet of the poorer classes 

 of Costa Ricans. 



Cn the Central Highland, *100 is estimated for the yearly income of the wages earner. 

 The average wage earner in San Jose itself is said to earn about 5 colones (roughly $1.00) 

 per day. 



Fishermen catching fish for the fresh-fish trade in both Puntarenas and Port Limon were 

 tied together in organizaticms that controlled the price to be paid to the fisheirmen. A 

 price of ,30 colon or more per pound of fish in the round was generally agreed upon. Com- 

 pliance with agreed prices were rigidly enforced, covering the operations of fishermen in or 

 out of the organizations. Rail tariffs from Puntarenas to San Jose were less than 1 cent 

 per pound. 



1/ United States currency equivalents are used in this report. 



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