July 1951 CCMHERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 25 



No changes in the United States tariff for fishery items will result frcm this 

 action. Concessions granted by Sweden and Czechoslovakia to other countries will mo- 

 dify certain of their import duties on fishery products and, under provisions of the 

 most-favored-nation clause of the Agreement, be applicable to those products imported 

 from the United. States. 



Sweden reduced its rate of duty on canned salmon from 75 krona to 50 krona (from 

 US$14.50 to US$9.66) per 100 kilograms in negotiations with Canada. Since bothCanada 

 and the United States have signed the Protocol, this rate is scrieduled to become ef- 

 fective July 7, and will apply equally to canned salmon from either of these countries. 

 Sweden also bound free its rate on salted, sweetened, or smoked cod roe in barrels. 



Czechoslovakia granted a reduced rate of 400 kcs. per 100 kilograms on herring, 

 mackerel, sprats, and tunny fish, in tomato sauce, preserved in tins, bottles, and 

 similar containers , hermetically sealed. This will have little effect on the danestic 

 industry since there is a minimiam of trade in fishery products with Czechoslavakia, 



RENEGOTIATION OF VENEZUELAN TRAPS A^mENT: The United States and Venezuelan 

 Governments have announced their intentions to renegotiate the Trade Agreement of No- 

 vember 6, 1939, now existing between the two countries.— (Views of the fishing and 

 allied industries may be presented concerning concessions in the Venezuelan tariff 

 that should be sought or Venezuelan trade restrictions which might be considered for 

 negotiation as well as on any United States concession which may be listed for con- 

 sideration) . 



Under the present trade agreement, preferential rates are given to Venezuelan 

 imports of certain fishery products from the United States. Frozen and canned sal- 

 mon are dutiable at the rate of .90 bolivar per gross kilogram (about 12 US cents 

 per pound); canned sardines packed in sauce, their own juice or oil (but not olive 

 oil) is specified at .28 bolivar per gross kilogram; (about 3.8 US cents per pound); 

 and canned shellfish at I.50 bolivares per gross kilogram (about 20 US cents per pound). 



United States statistics show exports to Venezuela in 1950 of 98,000 pounds of 

 canned salmon, valued at US$58,000; 4,000 pounds of frozen salmon, valued at US$2,500; 

 2,141,287 pounds of canned sardines, valued at US$332,245; and 167,000 pounds of can- 

 ned shellfish, valued at US$141,941, which consisted principally of 146,395 pounds of 

 canned shrimp, valued at US$129,265. 



Venezuelan import duties on fish products were substantially increased effective 

 March 1, 1951. This action was taken, according to a dispatch fron the U.S. Embassy 

 at Caracas, in order to provide additional protection to the Venezuelan fish-canning 

 industry. The new rates of duties were set at 2 bolivares per gross kilogram ( about 

 27 US cents per pound) except for those items (listed in paragraph two above) con- 

 tained in the present trade agreement and imported from the United States and from 

 other countries with which Venezuela has commercial treaties or modus vivendi contain- 

 ing most-favored-nation clauses. 



The rates on items not covered by the present agreement, including canned tuna 

 as well as many other items not listed above were raised on March 1, 1951, from 1.20 

 to 2 bolivares per gross kilogram (from I6 to 27 US cents per pound). United States 

 export statistics show the following fishery items in these categories going to Vene- 

 zuela in 1950 : 



1/ SEE p. 82 OF THIS ISSUE. 



