THE CAMBBEAN AREA — HC^JDURAS 



FISHERY RESOURCES 

 Character of the Coasts 



Caribbean Coast ; The Caribbean coast of Honduras is the most important in siae, 

 population, and development, and it appears to have the largest potential fishing area. 



In general, the coast is low and evaapy and fronted by a low sandy beach which is 

 often covered by stunted trees and low brushwood. Back of the sandy beaches are many 

 extensive lagoon areas and mangrove swamps. The largest of these lagoons is the Caratasca 

 Lagoon which parallels the coast for about 35 miles and has a width varying from 10 to 16 

 miles. There is a long shoreline haveing many indentations and islets. A number of Bmall 

 streams enter the lagoon and the depths XTjn from 14 to 18 feet in the deepest part. The 

 lagoon communicates with the sea through a channel which is 3/4 mile wide. Its entrance is 

 fronted by an extensive bar which has depths \ip to 8 feet. Further to the northwest is 

 Brewer's Lagoon irtiich is connected to the Caratasca Lagoon through branches of the Patuca 

 River. This lagoon has a channel to the sea with depths up to 7 feet. Yuan, Negro, and 

 Criba lagoon from the next series and then there is Tocomacho Lagoon near Cape Camaron. 

 Several smaller lagoons occur westward of Cape Camaron. Itiese are the Hutago, Lemus, 

 Quaiffloreto, and Abai^do Lagoons* 



There are few good harbors for large vessels but fishing craft could find shelter in 

 the various sheltered lagoons. Puerto Cortez sind Puerto Castillo are the best ports. 



There are a number of islands and cays lying off the coast. The most important are 

 the Bay Islands; Roatan, Bonacoa, Dtila, and the Caratasca Cays. The Bay Islands are 

 populated, and they offer shelter for small boats. 



Offshore from Cape Gracias a Dios to Patuca Point there is found a great expanse of 

 shallow water with many cays, reefs, and shoals. The 100-fathom line is about 90 miles off 

 Cape Gracias a Dios and about 15 miles off Point Patuca. A number of in5)ortant banks occur 

 in this section. They include Gorda Bank, Rosalind Bank, Serranilla Bank, Thunder Knoll, 

 and others. This bank area covers a total of about 30,000 square nautical miles, mostly all 

 in depths less than 50 fathoms. Much of the bottom is of sand, coral, pebbles, and there 

 are some spots of mud. Off the bank area the depths increase rapidly. From Point Patuca 

 westwcird, the lOO-fathom line roughly parallels the coast with ths average distance offshore 

 being about 10 to 15 miles, Roatan and Bonacca lie outside soiindings, but the westernmost 

 island of Utila is just on the lOO-fathom curve. The bottcan in this secticm is predominantly 

 mud but there is sane sand, A number of rocks and shoals and reefs are to be found, principal- 

 ly close inshore. 



The development of this region, from Trujillo to Puerto Cortez is due, principally, to 

 the operations of large fruit companies engaged in banana growing. The population centers 

 of Puerto Cortez, Tela, Ceiba, and Trujillo (to a lesser extent) are banana-shipping ports. 

 Railroads connect Ceiba, Tela, Puerto Cortez and San Pedro Sula in the interior. Airlines 

 connect with Tegucigalpa, the capital, and vdth British Honduras. Except for this, the 

 Caribbean coast is virtually isolated from the interior and Pacific coast. 



The Honduras coastal and offshore regions are affected markedly by currents. Outside 

 of the Bay Islands, '-he main stream of the equatorial current runs to the west-northwest at 

 its usual velocity of 1/2 to 1 knot, until it approaches the cays and banks in the Gulf of 

 Honduras. Here it is diverted to the north and north-northeast and runs along the coast of 

 Belize and the eastern coast of Yucatan with a velocity of 1-1/2 to 2 knots in the rainy 

 season* 



Inside the cays, southward of Belize, a counter current sets southward into the head 

 of the Gulf of Honduras. Thence, it turns eastward, running along the coast within the 

 limits of soundinijs as far ais Trujillo, increasing in velocity during the rainy or summer 

 season. Between Trujillo and Cape Gracias a Dios, the stream along shore is uncertain, 

 both in force and direction. This counter current from the north, which has made the circuit 

 of the Gulf of Uexico, passes through the Yucatan channel under the warm waters of the equator- 

 ial current and follows the coast of British Honduras to the southward into the bight, and 



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