28 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



SOUTH AMERICA. 



COLOMBIA. 

 SANTA MARTA. 



[By Leroy R. Sawyer, consul, September 13, 1921.) 



In this consular district, comprising the department of the Magda- 

 lena, the principal fishing centers- are the bays on the north coast, the 

 large swamp traversed by estuaries (Cienaga Grande) forming a part 

 of the delta of the Magdalena River, and the same river serving as 

 the western boundary of the department. 



From the Santa Marta Bay and Taganga Bay, lying to the north- 

 east, bonito, piciia, sierra (saw fish), and pargo (red snapper) are 

 obtained in considerable quantity, the first two, however, m greater 

 abundance. The sabalo is also occasionally brought in. In the 

 Cienaga Grande the catch consists chiefly of lisa, bagre (catfish), 

 mojara, and libranche, a fish the flesh of which contains a large per- 

 centage of oil. It has not been possible to obtain any data relating 

 to the fishing industry for municipalities situated on the Magdalena 

 River proper. Those municipalities are, furthermore, almost ex- 

 clusively dependent upon Barranquilla for such fish products as may 

 be imported, and data in this connection would be reported by the 

 consulate in that city. 



The bonito and pictia are seined, and the sierra and pargo are 

 caught by hook and line. The greater part of the catch obtained in 

 the Cienaga Grande is secured by the use of the circular bell-shaped 

 net, the usual procedure being for a fleet of fish boats to select a des- 

 ignated fishing ground and nets being cast to cover the area chosen. 

 The sabalo is usually harpooned. It is probably safe to say that 

 several thousand people in and around the Cienaga Grande devote 

 themselves to fishing for a livelihood. In fact, the residents of Sala- 

 manca (the long ribbon-shaped island facing the Caribbean Sea), 

 Pueblo Viejo, Isla Rosario, JEl Morro, Buena Vista, and Trojas de 

 Cataca, towns and settlements located on the shores of the Cienaga 

 or built out over the water or situated on islands within the Cienaga, 

 are almost entirely fishermen. Fishing is free of any governmental 

 restriction throughout the department of the Magdalena except in 

 the case of the municipality of Pueblo Viejo, located on the shores of 

 the Cienaga, in which instance the fishing rights are subject to taxa- 

 tion when the industry is carried on for commercial purposes. Dur- 

 ing 1920 the sum of 5,477 pesos, Colombian currency, was collected 

 on this account. 



All the fish in this district, except the lisa, are put on the market 

 and consumed the same day they are caught. The lisa is split open 

 cleaned, salted, and sun dried, and in this form becomes an article 

 of considerable trade with Barranquilla and other cities and towns 

 located on the lower Magdalena Kiver. No fishery products are 

 exported. There is, however, a fair amount of interdepartmental 

 trade in fish, lisa principally, particularly between this and the 

 adjoining departments of Atlantico and Bolivar. 



No separate statistics covering imports of fishery products are kept 

 at the local customhouse, but approximately correct data have been 

 obtained from the principal local merchants handling such goods. 

 This information follows : 



