The upper end of the Gulf of Nicoya, from Puntarenas inland, 

 is reserved as a nursery area, and trawling for shrimp is not permitted 

 there. Along the remainder of the coast, fishing is permitted the entire 

 year. There do not appear to be any definite seasonal tendencies in the 

 catch. 



OUTLOOK FOR PRODUCTION 



Costa Rica's annual shrimp catch may eventually reach 1 or 2 

 million pounds, headless weight. Practically all of this can be expected 

 to come from the Pacific coast. The Atlantic side, except perhaps around 

 the mouth of the Colorado River, does not appear to have characteristics 

 suited for shrimp. It seems that all the available Pacific fishing grounds 

 are now being fished to some extent but not to the degree that ultimately 

 should be reached. The date of maximum production may be in the very near 

 future since the number and efficiency of the boats are increasing rapidly. 



FISHERMEN AND GEAR 



In 195U there were six or seven small shrimp trav;lers operating 

 out of Puntarenas. This number had increased to 21 by the end of 1955 

 and to 32 by the end of February 1956. It was anticipated that additional, 

 and probably more efficient, boats would soon enter the fishery. As the 

 fishing intensity increases, the less efficient boats will oxndoubtedly be 

 forced to drop out. 



The trawlers usually carry five to six men aboard. All expenses 

 except food are paid for by the boat owner. The custom is to pay the 

 captain and engineer a monthly salary as well as a share of the catch. 

 The captain is generally paid 1;00 to 500 colones 16/ ($60 to $75) a month 

 and the engineer 200 to 300 colones ($30 to $h^) . For a five-man crew, 

 and for the lower salary range, the share price is 75 centavos (about 11 

 cents) per poxmd of tails. This amount is split so that the captain 

 receives 25 centavos a pound, the engineer lU centavos and the hands 12 

 centavos each. 



Usually the crew also receives half of the returns from the fish 

 and small shrimp. 



The boat owner is paid 2.75 colones (about i;2 cents) a pound, 

 headless weight, for large shrimp (20 to the pound and larger) and 1 colon 

 (about 15 cents) a pound for small shrimp. Heading is done aboard. 



16 / The conversion rate for the ^osta Rlcan colon was 6.63 to U.S. $1.00, 

 (100 centavos ■= 1 colon) . 



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