U3\ia.l.l7 there are three :aen to a dugout, two ca£;ting and one 

 rovjLig. ;.bo-ut h,SOO men are employed in this fishery alone the i;est 

 coast. The bulk of this type of fishing is seasonal, from July or 

 Aur.'ust untij. Dacerriber. The reiriainder of the year the Kien find employ- 

 ment in agriculoural or other fishing endeavors. 



The du-A'outs are hollowed from a single t-ree trunlcj the "guana- 

 castle" is preferred. They are usually bet;jeen 1^ and 25 feet in lenjjth 

 and are fitted so a sail can be stepped in. More and more of the dug- 

 outs are being fitted with outboard motors, a fairly recent innovation 

 in this fisher^;^. 



The cast nets are ik to 16 feet iii diameter, and considerable 

 skill is required to throv/ one from a dugout. Fishing is usually in 

 shallow depths, but successful operations have been observed in 6 to 8 

 f athoi;is . 



The customary practice is for the men to leave port before 

 davm and return in the early afternoon. The shrimp are not headed 

 while fishing, nor is it coniMon to carry ice. Usually the catch is 

 protected by a tarpaulin and the heads are removed ashore. 



The "tapos" or "cieri-as" are a west coast device that appar- 

 ently originated before the Conquest. They are used in estuarine 

 waters between Maaatlan and San Bias. There are about 1,000 men 

 employed in the shrimp "tapo" fishery. The season extends from July 

 or August until December. Like the cast-net fishermen, the "tapo" 

 fishermen find employment in agriculture or other types of fishing 

 during the off season. 



The "tapo" is a weir consisting of three principle parts: 

 the vjings, the body, and one or more pens. Depending upon the terrain, 

 a "tapo" iTiay be less than 100 yards long or it may extend several 

 kilometers. It is designed to block off an estuary or bayou, concen- 

 trating seaward-migrating youu;-- shrimp in the pens. The vjings consist 

 of two parallel rows of palmetto trunks driven into the bottom. The 

 rows are 6 to 8 inches apart, and the space between is filled with cut 

 brush well stamped do\m. Tovjards the center of the weir, or the part 

 where tidal currents are strongest, the body and pens are placed. The 

 body consists of palmetto petioles or mangrove poles, about 1 inch 

 in diameter, lashed closely together in the form of a mat. The lashings 

 are made from palmetto fronds. These mats are fastened to pilings in 

 such a fashion as to malce a xjeir. The pens or "chiqueros" are kidney- 

 shaped and made of the same matting as the body of the weir. They are. 

 6 to 8 feet in their longest dimension. A narx'ow V-shaped lead runs 



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