September 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



49 



Barbados 



FISHERY LANDINGS AND TRENDS, 19 65: 



It is estimated that the total amount offish 

 landed in Barbados in 1965 was 5.7 million 

 pounds, representing 1.1 million pounds more 

 than the amount (4.6 million pounds) landed 

 in 1964. Of this increase, only 200,000 pounds 

 went through the public market, with some 

 900,000 pounds landed at beaches where there 

 are no public markets. During 1965, some 2 

 million pounds of fish were landed at 4 main 

 public markets on the Island, compared to 

 1.8 million pounds in 1964. 



The Fisheries Department estimates that 

 the percentage distribution of the total amount 

 of fish landed in Barbados by species, on the 

 average, is as follows: Flyingfish 58 per- 

 cent; dolphin 16 percent; shark 7 percent; 

 bilLfish 4 percent; kingfish and albacore 3 

 percent each; redfish 2 percent; and all oth- 

 er species 7 percent. 



During 1965, some 1,982,000 pounds of 

 shrimp were landed at the Barbados Market- 

 ing Corporation (B.M.C.), compared to 1.5 

 million pounds in 1964. Of the 1965 total, 

 1.62 million pounds were exported, mostly to 

 the United States, the remainder being con- 

 sumed locally. Shrimp brought to Barbados 

 are exported by the Barbados Seafood Com- 

 pany, while the B.M.C. provides the neces- 

 sary facilities for cleaning, packing, and 

 storing. 



A considerable increase in fish production 

 is expected to result from the United Nations 

 Regional Caribbean fisheries project and 

 from the training of fishermen and the equip- 

 ping of their vessels to permit them to go 

 farther afield to exploit the offshore fisher- 

 ies. It is proposed to organize production 

 by the formation of a company comprising 

 the government, existing local fishing inter- 

 ests including cooperatives, and expert over- 

 seas interests, with a view to carrying out 

 deep-sea fishing operations on a large scale. 

 This joint effort should reduce the need of 

 individual owners for loan capital to finance 

 their operations. These operations, up to 

 now, have not been sufficiently remunerative 

 to enable borrowers to repay their govern- 

 ment loans, chiefly because of the relatively 

 high cost of operating the smaller craft, the 

 lack of adequate training to enable them to 

 go farther afield, and until recently the ab- 

 sence of proper marketing facilities. 



Cooperative fishing societies will be pro- 

 vided with facilities to assist them in servic- 

 ing their vessels and will be encouraged to 

 enter the marketing field in cooperation with 

 the B.M.C. The Government will provide 

 adequate staff to assist in vessel mainten- 

 ance, improve docking and unloading facilities 

 for the fishing craft, and to cooperate with 

 the Bellairs Research Institute of McGill 

 University in research and experimental proj- 

 ects designed to increase local knowledge of 

 the habits and location of the fish in waters 

 around the Island. A substantial expansion 

 in shrimp production is expected as a result 

 of the facilities, offered to the private sector. 

 (Various sources, July 1966.) 



Brazil 



NEW DECREE ENCOURAGES 

 FISHERY DEVELOPMENT: 



Incentives for the development of the Bra- 

 zilian fishery industry are contained in Gov- 

 ernment Decree No. 58,696, dated June 22, 

 1966 (the effective date). The incentives are 

 designed primarily to encourage the produc- 

 ing segment of the fishing industry. 



The main features of the Decree are: (1) 

 Fishing vessels owned by Brazilian fisher- 

 men will no longer be required to pay port 

 taxes, and (2) the fishing industry will be per- 

 mitted to hire foreign fishing vessels for the 

 limited period of one year, after which time 

 a vessel hired in such manner must either 

 become nationalized according to Brazilian 

 regulations or abandon Brazilian territorial 

 waters. 



The Decree is a forerunner of a revised 

 basic fishing law which is now in draft form 

 and is being considered for passage by the 

 Brazilian Government. The new law, when 

 passed, is expected to bring even further 

 changes favorable to fishing development. 

 One proposal being considered, for example, 

 is designed to attract more foreign capital 

 into the fishing industry by raising the per- 

 missible ceiling of foreign ownership of Bra- 

 zilian fishing companies from the present 

 maximum, of 40 percent to a new maximum 

 of 50 percent. 



Some of these changes in fishery policy 

 being made or considered by the Brazilian 

 Government are believed inspired by United 



