FISHERY RESOURCES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 289 



be valued at 51,780 pesos. As a matter of fact much of it was first and 

 second grade trepang so that probably the true value would more nearly 

 approximate 75,000 pesos. According to British statistics, the Sulu Ar- 

 chipelago alone supplied Singapore in 1907 with trepang valued at 21,975 

 pesos. Singapore's total trade in trepang for that period was valued at 

 443,103 pesos, two-thirds of which was shipped to Hongkong. It would 

 be much cheaper for Hongkong to buy directly from Manila ; as a matter 

 of fact, our last year's increase in export largely was due to the direct 

 buying of Hongkong dealers. 



China imports each year about 3 million kilograms of trepang, chiefly 

 from the Malay Archipelago, Philippine Islands, and the South Pacific 

 Islands. The export from Manila might easily be doubled without damage 

 to the fisheries. 



COMMERCIAL POSSIBIIJTIES IN PHILIPPINE TREPANG. 



While it is true that trepang is one of the minor marine products of 

 the Philippines, nevertheless, we should not lose sight of the fact that it 

 is a staple and recognized article of diet with a country which has the 

 largest population on the face of the globe, and where it finds a ready 

 market; also, that it can be cheaply prepared, that the natural supply 

 in the Islands is large, and that with but little care the output probably 

 could be increased readily. Taking all these facts into consideration, it 

 is rather a matter of astonishment that large canning companies, espe- 

 cially in the United States, have not awakened to the possibility of this 

 product of the sea and added the delicious trepang soup to their list of 

 conserved products. 



A check list of Philippine holothurians appears at the end of this paper. 



II. THE SHAEK-FIN INDUSTRY IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



The drying and curing of sharks' fins (Plate III, fig. 1) in the Phil- 

 ippines, for export to China, is one of the minor industries, requiring 

 but little capital and yielding profitable returns. At present the business 

 is almost entirely in the hands of Chinese merchants. 



The fins of all of the numerous species of sharks found in the Islands 

 are used, as well as some of the fins of the larger rays. The big, dorsal 

 fin of the shark is the most desirable; this is usually of a uniform pale 

 grayish or whitish color on both sides, and is supposed by the Chinese 

 to contain more gelatin than any of the others, therefore it commands the 

 highest price and is known in commerce as the "white fin." All the 

 remaining fins, which include the ventrals, pectorals, anal, and caudal, 

 are classed together as "black fin." The large caudal fin when uniform 

 in color is frequently put in as "white fin." The fine white fins are 

 selected for the making of soup, while the black fins are largely used in 

 manufacturing a superior grade of fish glue. 



