INTRODUCTION 



In recent years iacreasinr;; interest in tlie ahrimp fisheries of" 

 Latin America has led to many inquiries as to just what these fisheries 

 are and what may be expected to develop from them. Only scattered 

 information of dubious reliability has been available. This report has 

 been prepared after on-the-spot surveys — more extensive for some countries 

 than for others — to supply the answers to many of the questions that the 

 United States Fish and Wildlife Service has been asked. The surveys were 

 made for the most part during the period October 19[;l3 to April 1956. 



For each country, detailed data are given on commercial species 

 and fishing grounds, on outlook for production, on fishennen and gear, 

 on processing and marketing, on foreign trade, and on governmental 

 assistance. The same sequence of presentation is followed, as far as 

 possible, for each country . 



The 1955 total annual production of shrimp throughout conti- 

 nental Latin America was estimated to be betv;een 120 million and 125 

 million pounds, heads -on vjeight, or 71. h to 'jh.h million pounds, heads- 

 off vi^eight (table 1). It is estimated that the shrimp fisheries of this 

 area, when fully developed, may produce from 200 million to more than 

 300 million pounds, heads -on weight, each year. 



In many instances the catch, for economic and other reasons, 

 may never approach its potential. Moreover, in numerous places shrimp 

 species of small size form a great part of the potential supply. These 

 small shrimp now have a limited market and unless marketing conditions 

 change appreciably it is not Idkely that the catch will reach the poten- 

 tial soon. 



There are very few, if any, shallow-vjater coastal areas in Latin 

 A^ierica that have not been explored to some extent. Those areas that were 

 found relatively easy to exploit have been exploited or are in the process 

 of being developed. Scarcity of shrimp, lack of facilities, currency con- 

 trol, and legal restrictions are some of the reasons why the development 

 of the other areas has been prevented or delayed. The would-be explorer 

 or prospective investor should bear these facts in mind. 



There are at least 21 species of marine and brackish-water 

 shrimp that are of commercial importance in continental Latin America. A 

 number of other species are caught in the fishing operations, but either 

 they are discarded by the fishermen or the amounts landed are so small 

 that they have not been considered of conmercial importance up to the 

 present time. 



Ten species of shrimp belonging to the genus Penaeus comprise 

 the bulk of the shrimp fishery, accounting for about 90 percent of the 



