THB CARIBBEAN AREA — DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 



quite irregular but usually the months frcm Deoeniber to March constitute the driest part 

 of the year on the south coast, whereas the least rain falls in June or July along the 

 north coast. 



Storms ; Ihe Dominican Republic is greatly affected by hurricanes, and records shew at 

 least 20 severe tropical storms from 1851 to 1935. A disastrous hurricane on September 3, 

 1930, devastated the city of Ciudad Tnijillo (Santo Domingo). More than 2,000 persons were 

 killed and there was great property damage. 



Tropical storms which do not pass sufficiently near the south coast to malie their 

 presence evident in the weather condition sometimes cause heavy seas which appear with such 

 little warning that they are dangerous to shipping and fishing. 



S ea Temperatures ; Ihe surface temperatures of the sea on the north vary from 75.9 

 degrees F. in March to 82.5 degrees F. in September, a range of 6,6 degrees F.j while on 

 the south they vary from 78. /i degrees F. in February and liarch to 82.9 degrees F. in August 

 cind September, a range of ^.5 degrees F.. Over the entire year the watei-s to the south 

 average about 1.5 degrees F. warmer than those to the north. The sharpest differences 

 occur in March and April, when the southern waters are 2.5 degrees F. warmer than those to 

 the north and the least are in August when there is only 0.2 degrees F. difference. 



The range of sea surface temperatures on both coasts, and particularly on the north 

 coast, indicates that considerable mixing of water occurs. TOiether this is due to upwelling 

 or to wind-driven contributions of cool surface water has not been established, but there are 

 indications that parts of the north coast may be quite productive. One such place, the Monte 

 Cristi Bcink, already has considerable reputation as a fish producer. There are probably other 

 localized areas where fish are abundant, on both south and north coasts. 



Oceanic Currents ; There are oceanic currents on both coasts and, also, local tidal and 

 wind-driven movements of water. To the south, from 20 to 60 miles offshore is the Cuban 

 Counter Current which originates off Habana, flows westward and southward around Cape San 

 Antonio, then eastward and southward along the coasts of Cuba and Hispaniola, where it final- 

 ly disappears In the Llona Passage. This current has a speed of from 0.5 to 1.0 knot off the 

 coast of the Dominican Republic. From 30 to 100 miles further offshore, a branch of the 

 North Equatorial Current flows westward, having passed through the channel between Martinique 

 and St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles. Ihis current has a speed of 0.5 to 0,7 knot off the 

 Dominican coast. There are indications that both currents carry populations of migratory 

 fish. The offshore current has swordfish and tunas, while the inshore counter current has 

 Spanish mackerel, albacore, bonito, kingfish, and other species of more limited migratory 

 tendencies. In certain seasons and in certain years, probably dependent on the characteristics 

 of the counter current, large schools of fish frequent Uona Channel. 



To the north, a branch of the North Equatorial Current passes from 20 to 50 miles offshore 

 in a deep channel between the Dominican coast and Silver and Navidad Banks. This current is 

 a pcU"t of the North Equatorial Current which does not pass into the Caribbean. From the middle 

 Atlantic it flows westward, skirting the Virgin Islands. Off Puerto Rico it splits, one branch 

 becomes the Bahama Current vrtiich flows northwestward along the outside of the BsJiamas and the 

 other branch continues westward off the coast of Hispaniola. This current carries little or 

 no nutritive material, but large schools of pelagic fish follow its margins on their extensive 

 migrations. 



From an oceanographic standpoint, the Dominican Republic has relatively good possibilities, 

 but the abundance of fish is probably seasonal, and much more intensive study will be required 

 before definite information can be supplied. 



Species and Distribution 



The fishes found in the waters surrounding the Dominican Republic are, with certain rare 

 exceptions, the same species that inhabit all of the region between Key West and Brazil. In 



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