96 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



very thick, that have dried rather dark instead of white as the fine 

 quality received from the American shipper, but they are dry and 

 stand the test of heat and dampness and keep well. This is the 

 quality suitable for Martinique, 



Another factor which hampers the American shipper is that he 

 never gets an order large enough to load a schooner. The freight 

 which the purchaser here is obliged to pay is therefore much higher 

 and increases his cost. Exchange is also an important factor. As 

 matters now stand the Canadian supplier benefits by approximately 

 15 per cent on exchange alone, which gives him a decided advantage 

 over his American competitor. 



BARBADOS. 



[By John J. C. Watson, consul, September 21, 1921.] 



The principal local fishery products are flying fish, red snappers, 

 and whale oil. The fish are sold fresh, and no canning or pickling is 

 done. Whales used to be plentiful in these waters, but only one or 

 two are now caught during the course of a year. Fishing is done 

 in small boats with hooks and lines. Whales are killed by the use 

 of darting guns and shoulder guns, fired from boats. Each boat is 

 manned by 14 men. No fish are cured locally, and no fishery 

 products are exported. 



Fresh, pickled, preserved, salt, and smoked fish are imported into 

 this colony. The countries of origin, quantity, and value of each 

 kind, according to the latest statistics, are as follows : 



1 The barrel weighs 200 pounds. 



^ The quintal weighs 112 poimds. 



A small quantity of the fishery products is reexported to the other 

 West Indian Islands. In 1919, the latest year for which statistics 

 are available, 37,713 quintals of salt fish and 2,443 barrels of pickled 

 fish were reexported. 



Most of the fishery products used here are imported from British 

 countries. The reasons for this are the preferential duty and the 

 hard cure, which keeps better. American fresh fish competes 

 successfully with fish from British countries, because fresh fish is free. 

 If American manufacturers desire to compete with British manu- 

 factures, they should hard cure their fish and put them up as follows : 



i 



