66 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



Malaysia (Contd.): 



men to engage in deep-sea fishing. (United 

 States Embassy, Kuala Lumpur, April 12, 

 1966.) 



Mauritania 



CLARIFIES DECLARATION ON 

 EXCLUSIVE FISHERY ZONE: 



The Government of Mauritania, in an oral 

 statemient delivered to the Japanese Embassy 

 in Dakar, was reported to have clarified its 

 declaration concerning the establishment of 

 an exclusive fishery zone, as follows: Effec- 

 tive May 1966 the territorial sea of Mauri- 

 tania will include the waters six miles from 

 shore measured from the low -water mark and 

 the exclusive fishing zone will include the 

 adjacent waters six nniles beyond the terri- 

 torial sea. Spain and France will be per- 

 mitted to fish in certain localities in the ex- 

 clusive fishery zone, but the operation of for- 

 eign vessels other than those approved for 

 operation in the zone based on certain con- 

 ditions, e.g., they land their entire catches 

 in Mauritania for processing, will be pro- 

 hibited. Violators will be fined from 200,000 

 to 4 million francs and their vessels, gear, 

 and catch will be confiscated. ( Minato Shim - 

 bun, July 12, 1966.) 



Mexico 



SPINY LOBSTER AND ABALONE 

 DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL 



IN BAJA CALIFORNIA: 



The northernmost fishery port in the Ter- 

 ritory of Baja California is located at Bahia 

 Tortolo (also known as Bahia Tortugas, Tur- 

 tle Bay, or Puerto San Bartolome). Located 

 here, on the best protected harbor on the 

 Territory's Pacific Coast, is a thrivingaba- 

 lone cannery and a shipping facility for spiny 

 lobsters. Both species are taken by the sev- 

 eral fishermen's cooperatives along the rocky 

 coast and at nearby Isla Natividad. The can- 

 jnery receives its supplies by the same small 

 'vessel that hauls the canned abalone toEnse- 

 nada where company headquarters is located. 

 The lobsters are shipped alive by small plane 

 to the cooking and freezing plant inEnsenada. 



Although much less important than frozen 

 shrimp, which is Mexico's most important 

 fishery export item, abalone and spiny lob- 

 sters are second and third in value. All the 

 abalone, both canned and frozen, and nearly 

 all the spiny lobsters are produced along the 

 Pacific Coast of the two halves of Baja Cali- 

 fornia. 



Fig, 1 - Typical DUKW or amphibious "duck" used to load and 

 unload vessels where no docking facilities exist. 



Additionally, large and growing quantities 

 of canned abalone are sold in mainland Mex- 

 ico. Although both abalone and lobsters are 

 exploited heavily, it should be possible to in- 

 crease the harvest somewhat. Better trans- 

 portation facilities would enable the establish- 

 ment of additional shore bases in places the 

 fishermen cannot reach at present. Improved 

 equipment and boats could result in some in- 

 crease in lobster catches. Far in the future, 

 but foreseeable, is an increase in the produc- 

 tion of abalone by means of the artificial cul- 

 ture techniques now being developed in Japan. 



Asuncion, sheltered by the point and island 

 of the same name, is a fishing village of about 

 the same size and importance as Turtle Bay. 

 The town of 1,500 people is supported entirely 

 by the abalone cannery and the lobster camps. 

 The cannery and the entire town receive all 

 supplies by ship from Ensenada. The canned 

 abalone is carried to Ensenada aboard the 

 same ship. Spiny lobsters are flown alive to 

 Ensenada. There is no wharf at Asuncion; 

 all unloading and loading of supplies and 

 canned abalone, as well as unloading of 

 catches, are done by lighters, in this case a 

 "fleet" of amphibious 'ducks." The abalone 

 cannery has its headquarters in Ensenada and 

 operates at full capacity, selling every case 

 it packs. 



