650 



MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



Table 142. Production of Spiny Lobsters by Countries. 



^ Production limited by Union of South Africa to 6,000,000 lbs of tails for canning or 

 freezing for export. This is equivalent to 18 million lbs of whole spiny lobsters. Local 

 consumption is around 2 million lbs, while the production in Southwest Africa is esti- 

 mated to be around 5 million lbs. 



Source: Chace, F. A., Jr., and Dimiont, W. H., "Spiny Lobsters: Identification, 

 World Distribution, and U. S. Trade," U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Commercial 

 Fisheries Review, 11, No. 5, 1-12 (1949). 



and is now in fourth position as shipper to this country. The large proportion of im- 

 ports of frozen spiny lobster tails has been from South Africa and Australia, with some 

 from Cuba and the Bahamas. Whole spiny lobsters — live, boiled, and iced — are imported 

 from nearby islands and countries. The import data do not separate the tails from whole 

 spiny lobsters. However, it is known that all the imports from the Union of South Africa, 

 Australia, and New Zealand are tails. As the tail represents about Vs of the live animal, 

 the imports from these 3 countries, although only 40 per cent of the total import weight, 

 represent nearly 10,000,000 pounds of live spiny lobsters, or over 2 times the combined 

 imports from all the countries of the western hemisphere. 



"The South African tails are generally individually wrapped in cellophane before 

 freezing. After grading into sizes they are packed in flat slat boxes, holding 20 pounds 

 each. The sizes are: M-pound to /4-pound; /i-pound to 1-pound; and over 1-pound. 



"The shipment of fresh, frozen, and cooked spiny lobsters from Mexico, Cuba, and 

 the Bahamas is dependent on the legal seasons in those countries. The large proportion 

 of imports from Mexico are shipped from November to March (Table 144). The 



