August 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



55 



Cuba 



SPINY LOBSTER LANDINGS AND EXPORTS: 



In 1964, Cuba produced 900,000 pounds of 

 spiny lobsters for export, primarily to West 

 European countries (France and Spain). Cuba's 

 total 1964 spiny lobster catch amounted to a- 

 bout 16 million pounds. In 1965, Cuba pro- 

 duced 19.8 million pounds, a record in recent 

 years and more than in 1961 when about 18 

 million pounds were landed. 



The Cuban Government, however, wants to 

 increase landings and exports and has passed 

 a special lobster plan. Under the plan sever- 

 al fishing methods harmful to the species are 

 prohibited, spiny lobsters longer than 15 cen- 

 timeters only can be landed, catching berried 

 lobsters is outlawed, and the "shaving" of 

 berried lobsters is punishable. The use of 

 pots is now widely recommended. In addition 

 to regulations, the Cuban regime hopes to 

 promote future production by (1) building ar- 

 tificial corrals, (2) developing new coastal 

 lobster grounds, and (3) initiating deep water 

 fishing (exploratory testing is conducted by a 

 French expert). 



Spiny lobsters are landed by more than 20 

 fishery cooperatives as well as by the State - 

 owned fishery located on one of the keys off 

 Batabano Bay, the largest lobster fishing 

 center in Cuba. Cuban lobsters are exported 

 as frozen tails and as canned meat. Cuba 

 hopes in the future to export up to 50 percent 

 of the total landed weight by the reintroduc- 

 tion of deliveries of live lobsters. 



Editor's Note: After the revolution, lob- 

 ster fishermen converted water tanks on lob- 

 ster boats into ice boxes which tripled the 

 storage capacity of the boats. At the same 

 time lobster fishermen began to practice il- 



legal methods of fishing to increase the catch. 

 Experience, however, has shown that only live 

 lobsters can be processed into a product ex- 

 portable to western countries. To increase 

 such exports, the Cuban regime by law now 

 has reintroduced the delivery of live lobsters. 



***** 



PLANS FOR REVIVAL 

 OF SPONGE INDUSTRY: 



The sponge industry in Cuba flourished 

 until 1937 when sponge diseases and over- 

 exploitation reduced the resource. The Na- 

 tional Institute of Fishing is now studying the 

 possibility of introducing artificial sponge 

 cultivation. Editor's note: A French expert 

 is at present advising Cuban divers and mod- 

 ern diving equipment has been purchased in 

 West European countries and the U.S.S.R. 

 The main reason for the revival of the sponge 

 industry is Cuba's need for foreign exchange 

 obtainable by sponge exports. 



Denmark 



FISHERY EXPORTS, 

 JANUARY-MARCH 1966: 



Exports to All Countries : Total Danish 

 fishery exports in January-March 1966 were 

 down somewhat from the same period of 1965, 

 reflecting the drop in landings during the first 

 quarter of 1966. Average prices in 1966 were 

 higher for all categories except fish oil. The 

 leading markets for Danish fishery exports 

 continued to be the European Common Market 

 and the European Free Trade Association, al- 

 though the Soviet Bloc countries increased 

 their purchases of Danish fish meal during 

 the period. West Germany was the leading 



Table 1 - Danish Fishery Exports to All Countries, January -March 1966 | 



Classification 



January-March 1966 



Chauqe from 1965 



Quantity 



Value 



Quantity L Value 



Fresh 



Metric Tons 



40,661 



11,160 



1,544 



190 



Kr. 1,000 



92,561 



50,794 



6,710 



3,155 



US$1,000 



13,412 



7,360 



972 



457 



. . . Perce 

 -26 



- 2 



- 15 

 + 2 



ntage. . . 

 ■- 3 

 + 10 

 - 14 



+ 26 



Frozen •■■■•••••••■••■••■•••■ 



Salted 





Canned: 



1,379 

 379 



5,989 

 3.234 



868 

 469 



-19 



- 8 



- 9 



- 4 



Fish 



Shellfish 



Semipreserved: 



503 

 204 



3,460 

 2.275 



501 

 330 



- 4 



- 3 



+ 6 



+ 35 



Fish 



Shellfish 



Meal, solubles, ensilage, trout food, etc. . . . 



18, 308 



22,979 



3.330 



+ 2 



+ 21 



Total 



74,328 



191,157 



27,699 



- 17 



+ 3 



Fish oU 1/ .... 



7 772 



10.289 



1.491 



- 9 



- 12 



lyjanuary-Febmary data only; fish oil data are shown separately because they are collected separately and are often delayed. 

 Source: Danish Ministry of Fisheries. 



