46 



COMMERCIAL FISHEEIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 11 



LATIN & SOUTH AMERICA 

 Mexico 



SHRIMP PRODUCTION IMPROVES 



Shrimp production continued at good level 

 during second quarter of 1966. Although the 

 catches in May and June 1966 were slightly 

 below those months in 1965, landings in April 

 were so much greater than last April's that 

 they brought the quarter's total up to 7.1 per- 

 cent above 1965. Following the 4.3-percent 

 increase over 1965 during the first quarter, 

 1966 looks like a fairly good year. 



According to preliminary figures of De- 

 partment of Fisheries, total shrimp catches - - 

 weights are as landed, including heads -on, 

 heads -off, etc. --for the second quarter were: 



Month 



1966 1965 i 



April 



May 



June 



. . . (Metri 

 2,545.3 

 2,447.3 

 2,285.6 



: Tons) . , , 

 1,962.5 

 2,491.8 

 2,340.9 



Total .... 



7,278.2 



6,795.2 



During first -half 1966, Mexico shipped 11 

 percent more shrimp to the United States 

 than during first -half 1965. Shipnaents dur- 

 ing January -June 1966 were slightly over 28 

 million pounds, compared to 25.2 million 

 pounds in 1965 (mostly heads -off weight). 



The industry at Mazatlan was looking for- 

 ward to a somewhat better year when the 

 trawling season opened on September 15. 

 Although production last season was below 

 peak years, "nearly everyone made a little 

 money," one operator said. The reason was 

 high prices. These averaged 25 percent 

 higher than before. 



The entire West Coast fleet was ready 

 when the season opened. As the fishermen 

 say, "The first week tells the story. If it is 

 good, the whole season will be good." 



The fishery in the lagoons opened some - 

 what inauspiciously on September 1. Al- 

 though conditions are excellent in most la- 

 goons, with plenty of water from heavy and 

 timely rains, the shrimp taken during the 

 first week were unexpectedly small. They 

 ran 70 to 80 to the pound, with some as 

 small as 90, instead of the usual 40 to 60. 

 However, preseason sampling indicated that 



many larger shrimp left the lagoons for the 

 ocean early, where they should be available 

 to the fleet. 



Last year's contract between boat owners 

 and crews who are members of cooperatives 

 continues in effect, so fishing will not be de- 

 layed by negotiations that kept the industry in 

 turmoil last year. Most individual owners 

 who believed the terms unfavorable sold their 

 boats to the cooperatives; the co-ops now own 

 about 90 percent of the Mazatlan fleet. The 

 former boat owners still own the processing 

 plants, which they operate only as a service 

 for packaging and freezing the cooperatives' 

 shrimp. 



Throughout the shrimp industry, the real 

 profit opportunities lie in vessel ownership. 

 Last year, with very high prices and fair 

 catches (average 55,000 pounds a boat), the 

 cooperative owners showed a profit. A drop 

 in either catches or prices would be a severe 

 test of the cooperative system's ability to 

 survive. On the other hand, an excellent sea- 

 son would test the willingness of the co-ops to 

 reinvest earnings in new vessels and better 

 equipment to better meet hard times, if and 

 when they come. 



Unofficial reports say new contract will 

 run for 3 years and give fishermen nnoderate 

 benefits to meet increased living costs. (Fish- 

 eries Attache", Mexico D. F., September 15, 

 1966.) 



,1, jlj. ^1^ ,1^ ;l, 



CURRENT EXPORT POTENTIAL OF 

 MEXICAN FISHERY PRODUCTS 



Extensive exports of canned sardines to 

 the United States are not likely for 3 reasons: 

 the only species eligible for sale as sardine 

 in the United States under Food and Drug Ad- 

 ministration regulations has become very 

 scarce; by far the greatest part of production 

 is ineligible species; the increased domestic 

 demand for "sardines" absorbs the entire 

 production of existing canneries. 



Exports of frozen tuna have decreased in 

 recent years largely because the growing do- 

 mestic demand for canned tuna has resulted 

 in packing almost everything the Mexican 

 fleet catches. Only an unlikely large increase 



