84 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



resembling the salmon, and the lobster, shrimp, and oyster. Some 

 fresh fish are also packed in ice and shipped to mterior places, and 

 lobster and shrimp are at times likewise sent to Habana. 



There is practically no curing nor canning of fish here, and hence 

 no exportation of fishery products. The American consular agent 

 at Caibarien reports that some mullet is salted and cured in that 

 district but is subsequently sold in the domestic market. Lobster 

 from the island of Turiguano, canned at Batabano, Cuba (Habana 

 Province), is, however, sold to a considerable extent here. Various 

 imported cured and canned fish varieties are sold in this district, but 

 the official statistics indicate that by far the principal part of the 

 Cuban importation is via the ports of Habana and Santiago. 



The following table, compiled from official sources, gives the direct 

 importation of the principal fish varieties for the last three years at 

 the port of Cienfuegos: 



Other canned fish varieties are also imported direct into this port, 

 but they are classed under the general heading of canned meat and 

 fish. Both the white and black nape codfish are imported into this 

 district; also in more limited quantities, boneless cod and herring in 

 individual tins or packages, as well as tunny, hake, merluse, shrimp, 

 and lobster, also in tins. As far as has been ascertained there is no 

 reexport of imported fishery products from any of the ports of this 

 consular district, and it is understood that any such reexport from 

 Cuba is from the port of Habana. 



Dried cod, sardines, canned salmon, and other fishery products 

 produced in the United States have in the past also been imported in 

 considerable quantities from other countries, and it is understood 

 that with the gradual return to normal conditions since the war, such 

 importation from other sources of origin is a^ain being revived. 

 This preference is again asserting itself particularly in the case of 

 Norwegian codfish, which is said to be of better quality and to be 

 preferred in all parts of the district to the American product. Span- 

 ish and Norwegian sardines are also again establishing themselves in 

 this market, both being considered superior in quality to the American 

 product. Since the population here is largely Spanish, the sardines 

 from Spain are put up more in accordance with popular taste. 



This market for non-American products is being established in 

 spite of the 25 per cent preferential duty to the United States result- 

 ing in higher prices for the non-American products and in spite also 

 of the fact that in general the American tins are larger. The follow- 

 ing table gives a comparison of the present wholesale prices per case 

 of varying number of tias of American and non-American fishery 

 products: 



