The west-coast catch declined by more than 13 million pounds, 

 or about 20 percent, from 1950 to 195U. The strikinfj thing about this 

 drop in catch is that it occurred in spite of increased fishing effort, 

 extension of the fishing grounds, increased fishing depths, and increased 

 catches of less desirable species (brown and red shrimp). 32 / 



About 85 percent of the total shrimp catch of Mexico is reported 

 as fresh-headless. About one-third of the fresh-headless comes from the 

 east coast, and two-thirds from the west coast (table 13). 



TABLE 13.— PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL CATCH FROM EAST 

 AND VIEST COASTS OF MEXICO, BY YEARS, 1950- 51; 



The great expansion of the Mexican shrimp industry has been 

 stimulated by the increased exports of fresh and frozen shrimp to the 

 United States. 



Since I9UI United States imports of fresh and frozen shrimp 

 have accounted for an increasingly greater percentage of the Mexican 

 total catch of shrimp. 



In I9I4I, the United States imported less than 30 percent of 

 the Mexican catch, whereas during the 5-year period ending in 195^;, 

 the United States imported more than 75 percent of the total Mexican 

 shrimp production. 



32/ The 1955 catch from the west coast was appreciably greater than 

 in 195U. This vxas caused by an unusual abundance of brown shrimp in 

 the Gulf of California. 



BO 



