FISHERIES AND MARKET FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS IN MEXICO, ETC. 33 



Cameron is known as the Peruvian shrimp. It is identical in shape and 

 size with the crayfish found in great numbers in some parts of the 

 United States. This shellfish can be found at all seasons of the year 

 in great quantities and is much used. It is excellent for salads, as 

 its meat is of fine flavor. It is also said to be susceptible of canning 

 and preserving in the same manner as shrimp. The conchita is a 

 bivalve and is found only in limited (|uan titles. It has a beautiful 

 shell, brown on the outside and white inside. These shells are all 

 uniform, but they are of no value except for ornamental purposes. 



The meat, however, is delicious, either cooked or raw. It is in two 

 parts, one part, attached to the shell, bein<j; firm and white and similar 

 in taste to the scallop, the other part being a very small scarlet tip 

 of soft substance. These shellfish are very delicate and must be 

 eaten very soon after gathering, as they spoil very easily. There are 

 several other varieties of shellfish found, but they are very little 

 used. Some of them are bivalves and some crustaceans. 



The methods used in obtaining fish in Peru are the most primitive. 

 For the offshore fish, such as corvina, bonita, lisa, etc., hooks and 

 lines are used, either in anchored boats or trailing from moving sail- 

 boats. For the smaller fish caught near the shore hand nets are used. 

 The lines used offshore have several hooks to the line. The largest 

 boats used are not over 3 tons, and these are only exceptional. The 

 majority are simply small sailboats, which very seldom go out over 

 10 miles from the shore. Canoes even are used, and occasionally 

 the ancient raft may be seen. The fishery industry is essentially 

 coastwise. 



There is no canning industry in Peru, and neither is there any 

 refrigeration, so that the fish caught are eaten at once or thrown 

 away when they become spoiled. However, in the northern part of 

 the Republic, in the vicinity of Pimentel, San Jose, and I^aita, a 

 small quantity is salted. They are dried in shady places, and in 

 some instances a one-fifth part of saltpeter is added. The amount 

 thus cured does not exceed 12 or 15 tons per year at the most. 



Because of the lack of canneries, refricreration, and facilities for 

 curing no fishery products are exported from Peru, except in very 

 small quantities, to neighboring countries, consisting of salt fish alone. 

 These exports are as follows : 



1915. To Ecuador 312 pounds, salt fish, value $10. 



1916. To Chile 231 pounds, and to Ecuador 304 pounds, salt fish, total value $41. 



1917. None. 



1918. To Bolivia 116 pounds, salt fish, value $29. 



1919. To Bolivia 179 pounds, salt fish, value $45. 



Quite a large amount of fishery products is imported into Peru. 

 The principal preserved fishery imports are sardines, difi'erently pre- 

 served, salmon in tins, tuimy fish, herring, eel, stockfish, lobster, 

 oysters, crabs, and several other kinds. There are also a number of 

 different kinds of pickled fish imported. 



Following are tne statistics showing the amounts of the different 

 kinds of fishery products imported into Peru during the years 1913, 

 1917, 1918, and 1919 and the countries of origin. The year 1919 is 

 the latest for which these statistics are available. 



