FISHERIES AND MARKET FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS IN MEXICO, ETC. 



Species.' 



Abalone 



Barracuda 



Bass, sea 



Bonito 



Clams 



Halibut (bastard^ 



Lobsters, spiny. . 



Mackerel 



Perch, surf 



Rock cod (rock- 

 fish) 



Sardines (pil- 

 chards) 



San Diego. 



63,651 



,055,444 



234, 763 



36, 079 



20,730 



,631,531 



941, 590 



33, 426 



4,355 



97,116 



San Pedro. 



31, 459 

 2, 560, 503 



70. 305 

 165, 176 



4,827 



46,008 



430 



17. 306 



885 



545 

 3,185 



Total. 



95,110 



3,615,947 



305, 0G8 



201,255 



25, 557 



1,677,539 



942, 020 



50, 732 



5,240 



97,661 



3,185 



Species.' 



Sea trout 



Shark 



Skipjack 



Smelt 



Stingaree 



Tuna 



Tuna, yellowfln. . 



Turtle 



Whiteflsh 



Yellowtail 



Miscellaneous 



Total 



San Diego. 



5,562 



4,245 

 9,877 



226,318 



76,983 

 3,377 

 76, 750 

 12,043 



4, 533, 840 



San Pedro. 



12,628 

 10,844 

 3,835 

 24,885 

 10,844 

 487, 119 



1,475 



141,650 



1,424 



3, 595, 333 



Total. 



5,562 



12,628 



15, 089 



13, 712 



24,885 



237, 162 



487, 119 



76,983 



4,852 



218,400 



13,467 



8, 129, 173 



1 Fish caught outside the 3-mile limit are free from Mexican taxes and are not included in the table. 



All fishing is done from power schooners ranging from 3 to 40 tons 

 net and sailing out of San Diego and San Pedro, Calif. The larger 

 boats are operated by Austrians and Serbs and carry purse seines. 

 There are some 55 such boats in San Pedro, of which number 42 

 fished in Lower California waters during October, 1921. Purse 

 seines average 250 fathoms in length and 20 fathoms in depth, with 

 a mesh of only 2^ inches. When the catch is made, the fish are iced 

 and taken to market at San Pedro. 



Effective November 1, 1921, an important decree affecting fishing 

 activities in Mexican waters has been issued. According to the new 

 law the use of purse seines is prohibited in the waters of Lower Cali- 

 fornia. Various influences have urged upon the Mexican Govern- 

 ment the importance of prohibiting purse seining here. The new law 

 will result in somewhat limiting the supply of fish in Southern Cali- 

 fornia ports, with a possible increase in price, but this condition will 

 be temporary, as the same boats will provide themselves with other 

 types of nets of smaller size and larger mesh, so that eventually the 

 same amount of fish will be taken to port. The new law provides 

 for a heavy fine and confiscation of the boat for violation, and a 

 Mexican coast patrol vessel has been ordered to seize all offenders 

 after November 1. Americans, Italians, Portuguese, and Japanese 

 operate smaller boats and fish with gill nets, hand lines, and jigs. 

 Tuna are caught exclusively with hand lines. 



The Mexican Government collects a fishing tax of $1 per month 

 per gross ton from boats fishing within the 3-mile limit, and in addi- 

 tion a tax of S 18.50 per ton of fish caught, maintaining inspectors on 

 the docks at San Diego and San Pedro to weigh the fish as they are 

 brought in. 



The chief export from this consular district is abalone. This mol- 

 lusk abounds all along the Pacific coast of Lower California and is 

 found attached to rocks from low-tide line to a depth of 30 or more 

 feet. The industry is handled by Mexicans and Japanese having 

 their offices and distributing centers in San Diego, Calif. There are 

 three varieties of abalones — red, yellow, and black. The red is rarest 

 and best, the yellow more common and not so much esteemed, while 

 the black is the most abundant and least liked. Abalone may be 

 fished for in Mexico throughout the year, and there is no size limit. 

 Divers working with regulation divine suits and going down to a 

 maximum depth of 30 feet pry the abalones off the rocks with pinch 

 bars. A good diver will collect 2 tons of abalone in a 4-hour day, 

 weight figured on shell and meat together. 



