About 10 pounds of raw fine shrimp are required to produce 

 1 pound of peeled dried shrimp. One plant in Georgetown steams the shrimp 

 with salt in a barrel and dries them in the sun on a concrete floor. The 

 dried shrimp are peeled in an electrically driven rice-huller. Most of 

 this product was exported to Trinidad where it sold for about 6k cents 

 per pound. However, dried shrimp from Surinam selling for 3'S to kl cents 

 per pound has taken this market. The fishermen were paid 2^ to 3-| cents 

 per pound for the raw shrimp. 



The governraent is constructing a wholesa].e marlcet and landing 

 v/harf in Georgetown where cold storage rooms will be provided for the 

 use of the fishermen. There will also be a few bunlcs and a small canteen 

 available in this market. The proposal is to require all boats to land at 

 the dock. A charge of 6 percent on sales will be levied to cover the cost 

 of services. The selling price will not be under government control. 



The skiffs used by the shrimp fishermen generally are powered 

 by outboard motors. Gasoline costs k6 cents a gallon of which 19 cents 

 represents tax which is refunded to the fishermen. Net cost to the 

 fishermen is, therefore, about 27 cents a gallon. 



It was reported that a United States fisherman was to bring in 

 four trawlers. These boats will fish for the export market. The product 

 will be fish fillets and perhaps some shrimp. 



An estdjnated 6,000 pounds of dried shrimp were exported to 

 Trinidad in 19^5. These were the only shrimp exports from British Guiana. 



21^ 



