FISHERIES AND MARKET FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS IN MEXICO, ETC. 35 



common to all trades and that have come to be staple articles of diet 

 in practically all countries. 



The American exporter of fishery products should, first of all, 

 endeavor to retain the high quality of his goods for which American 

 goods of this class are now known and should not try to force an 

 inferior article on the market at the same price. Next, strict atten- 

 tion should be paid to packing, which should be strong enough to 

 withstand the handling it will have to undergo when shipped to the 

 west coast of South America, where most of tlie unloading is done in 

 lighters, since practically all the harbors are open roadsteads. 



The terms upon which these, as well as other classes of goods, are 

 sold in Peru are generally cash against documents. During the war, 

 and at a time when the European countries could not compete with 

 the United States, the United States obtained a large advantage in 

 this trade, but now that the countries of Europe are beginning to 

 export, better credit terms are being offered, and unless the American 

 exporters can devise some method of being able to meet these credit 

 terms it will be a difficult matter for them to meet the European 

 competition. 



It is therefore thought that if American exporters wiU meet the 

 terms of the other countries in regard to the above-mentioned mat- 

 ters and let this fact be known among the Peruvian importers it 

 will have a tendency to increase trade between the two countries 

 to a considerable extent. Complaint has been made of the inferior 

 packing by American exporters, that goods received do not come up 

 to sample, and that where American firms require cash payments 

 European and other firms extend reasonable credits. These matters 

 are given a great deal of consideration by the Peruvian buyer, and 

 they should also be considered by the American exporter. 



A summary of the possibilities of the fishing industry in Peru is 

 that hitherto there has been no local interest in the development of 

 this industry, but recently the Peruvian Fisheries Department has 

 been trying to evolve a plan of increasing its fishery products. As 

 to the possibilities of this industry, it may be said that they are many 

 and great. There are no canneries in Peru and no facilities for 

 refrigeration or for curing fish. The waters of the Pacific Ocean off 

 the coast of Peru literally teem with fish of many kinds, a great 

 number of which are of very fine food quality and undoubtedly 

 suitable for canning, preserving, and curing. Good indications of 

 the quantity are the vast number of fishing birds which inhabit the 

 coast and the islands of Peru and the fact that the supply of fish 

 used by the human population must be obtained daily and with a 

 great loss of the fish caught, since facilities for keeping those not 

 consumed are lacking. 



The equipment for obtaining the fish is primitive, and undoubtedly 

 if modern methods and equipment were employed the catch could 

 be enormously increased. Should canneries and refrigeration facili- 

 ties be installed, this catch could be preserved for marketing, not 

 only in Peru but in the other parts of the world. Undoubtedly 

 this is one of the industries that m the future will be seen in opera- 

 tion to a great extent along the west coast of South America. 



