FISHERIES AND MARKET FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS IN MEXICO, ETC. 31 



The Spanish sardine is now offering the keenest competition with 

 the American product, and its importation has been increasing. It 

 is palatable to these people and cheap, retailing in small tins at 10 

 cents each. American fishery products should be marketed here 

 through the established dealers in groceries and provisions. The 

 people like American food products but find them usually expensive 

 after freight and duty on gross weight have been paid. 



ECUADOR. 

 GUAYAQUIL. 



[By Frederic W. Goding, consul general, September 2, 1921.] 



The principal local fishery products of this district are fresh and 

 dried fish, large crayfish, eels, oysters, prawns, pearls, and tortoise 

 shells, while in the ocean some whales are captured by Norwegian 

 whalers. Also, there are two kinds of seals, both the fur and hairy 

 varieties, to which no attention is paid. The methods employed 

 in obtaining these products are similar to those utilized for the 

 same purpose in the United States, with the exception that in obtain- 

 ing fresh fish near Guayaquil the water in the inlets is poisoned 

 with a pulverized nut called barbasco, which stupefies the fish but 

 does not injure them as food. 



Fish are the only products preserved, the preserving being done 

 by cleaning and salting the fish and drying them in the sun in the 

 most primitive manner. This industry is carried on mostly in the 

 vicinity of the ports of Manta and Salango. 



The only products of Ecuadorean fisheries exported are pearls and 

 tortoise shells, the value of which varies greatly in different years. 

 While the fishery products imported into Ecuador are not important 

 they deserve attention. The imports for the years 1913, 1914, 

 1915, and 1916, compiled from the official statistics, are given in the 

 following table: 



107940°— 22- 



