10 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



The abalones are usually cured and canned before export. The 

 process consists f of removing the mollusk from the shell, boiling it 

 three times and changing the water with each boiling, then drying it 

 in the sun. When thoroughly sun baked, they are packed in 1-pound 

 tins, averaging three abalones to the tin. After reaching the United 

 States most of the abalone, both dry and canned, is reexported to 

 Hawaii or Japan. Its consumption is almost entirely confined to 

 Japanese and Chinese. The shell is exported to the United States, 

 where it is used for carving curios and shell buttons and is also ground 

 for poultry food. 



Tne spiny-lobster fishery is becoming one of the most important 

 industries of the Pacific coast of Lower California. While this crus- 

 tacean is marketed in the United States as lobster, it is quite distinct 

 from the lobster of the eastern seaboard. The spiny lobsters are 

 found along the coast from the American border to Cape San Lucas. 

 The best fishing grounds, however, are between Point Eugene and 

 San Ignacio Lagoon. Camps are established along the coast, and 

 the fishermen work out in rowboats, placing their lobster pots at 

 intervals along the rocky islands and coves. These pots are made 

 with a small aperture into which the lobster crawls, attracted by a 

 bait of meat or abalone. Sharp prongs prevent its egress. 



The lobsters are then collected at the camps and carried by fast 



Eower boats to San Diego, Calif. A converted submarine chaser is 

 eing tried out as a lobster carrier, speed being essential in order to 

 get the crustaceans to San Diego while still alive. The carrier boat 

 must submerge the lobsters once every 18 hours on the trip to San 

 Diego, this being accomplished by lowering the crates over the side. 

 Thirty-four power vessels from the United States are now engaged 

 in the industry. On arrival at San Die^o the lobsters are at once 

 boiled. A few are kept alive and thus sold to restaurants, but most 

 of them are marketed already cooked. They are placed in boiling 

 water while still alive, and after boiling for 20 minutes are cooled 

 and placed in cold storage. From San Die^o they are distributed 

 throughout the southwest. Only such spinylobsters as are between 

 10^ and 16 inches in length may be taken into the United States, 

 and imports of undersize or oversize lobsters are subject to fine. 



At this time fishermen are paid 9 cents a pound for the lobsters 

 laid down at the camps. There is a certain loss in shipment and a 

 shrinkage in weight of 15 per cent when boiled. At this time the 

 cooked lobsters sell at San Diego for 26 cents a pound wholesale. 

 The Mexican Government, besides several minor duties, dues, and 

 charges, places a flat export tax on lobsters of 2 cents, American 

 currency, a pound. 



La Paz is the center of the pearl-fishing industry. Although the 

 Gulf of California is a very prolific fishing ground, very little market 

 fishing is done, as there are no gulf ports readily accessible to the 

 United States. 



MAZATLAN. 



[By E. Schroder, vice consul, September 2, 1921.] 



The principal local fishery products in this consular district are 

 fish, oysters, shrimp, and shark fins, but at the present time no 

 commercial fishmg for export purposes is carried on. The few 



