XIV, 1 Taylor: Ipon Fisheries of Abra River 129 
town 1,360 pesos per annum. Each net over 60 meters in length 
has a marketable value of 300 pesos or more; thus the nets 
represent a property value of at least 40,800 pesos. 
The sarep is a small cylindrical trap made of finely woven 
bamboo and is about 1 meter long by 25 centimeters in diameter ; 
at one end it tapers to a narrow cyclindrical mouth stopped 
by a cork about 5 centimeters in diameter. The other end is 
furnished with a funnel-shaped mouth, which extends within 
for about one-third of the length. These traps are set in the 
river near the various mouths w'here the water is shallow or 
where there are riffles, as many as two hundred being placed 
side by side in certain designated places. The places where 
sarep may be used are fixed and classified by the municipal 
councils. These places are designated as “first class” and “sec- 
ond class.” For a first-class location the minimum tax is 12 
pesos per annum; but these places are usually sold at auction, 
the best localities bringing as much as 40 pesos each. The 
minimum for the second-class locations is 6 pesos per annum. 
The auctioning of locations is frequently the occasion of much 
dissension among the fishermen, at times resulting in fights. 
The catch for the most part is made into the popular fish 
food, known as bagoong.* To make bagoofig the fish are laid 
in layers in large earthen jars called tinajas, a layer of salt 
between two layers of fish. This mixture is then stored away 
and allowed to ferment into an evil-smelling substance, which is 
greatly relished by many Filipinos. The liquid portion obtained 
from the mixture is used for a sauce and is usually eaten with 
rice, while the more solid part of the ferment is heated or fried 
and eaten as ordinary fish. The proportion of salt and fish 
varies ; according to Seale the proportion is two parts of fish 
to three parts of salt for certain varieties of bagoong. This is 
certainly a much higher percentage of salt than is used or 
required for the bagoong made of ipon. 
The fisheries at the mouth of the river are in the hands of 
the two municipalities of Santa and Caoayan. In the two towns 
the taxes on the fishing industry alone amounted to 3,224.39 
pesos for 1915, and the collections for 1916 up to December 1 
amounted to 3,220.15 pesos. Not all of this represents tax on 
the ipon fishery, but certainly a large part of it does, since 
■* Bagoong’ is a generic term applied to a number of preparations made 
from small fish or shrimp. It is usually known as guinamos in Visayan 
dialects. 
‘Seale, Alvin, Philip. Journ. Sci., Sec. P (1914), 9, 4. 
