THE FISHERIES AND FISH TRADE OF PORTO RICO. 
By WILLIAM A. WILCOX, 
Agent of the United States Fish Commission. 
The inquiry concerning the local fisheries and the foreign fishery trade of Porto 
Rico was made by Mr. W. A. Wilcox, through interviews with the fishermen and 
others and by visits to the markets of the cities and towns. His report 1 has 
already been published in the annual report of the Commissioner for 1899. In the 
preparation of this chapter it has been the aim to summarize and present the more 
important features of that report and to incorporate some additional information 
which has more recently been obtained. 
Fishing for a livelihood is not carried on to a large extent anywhere in Porto 
Rico, and scarcely at all for sport. A few fishermen at the several ports make a 
living by fishing, plantation work, and labor at the docks on vessel cargoes. The 
professional and semiprofessional fishermen are estimated to number nearly 800, who 
employ about 350 sail and row boats. 
In past years the best of the fishing was monopolized by a few persons who 
bought the exclusive right to fish at the most favorable localities, near the outlets 
of streams and at other desirable places along the coast. Rights were advertised 
and sold at auction by the authorities, who at some ports imposed a special tax on all 
fresh fish landed. All fisheries were in charge of the captain of the port, any one 
wishing to engage in the business procuring from him a license and being enrolled 
in the reserve naval force, licenses being granted only to subjects of Spain. Boats 
were numbered and a record kept of licenses, men, apparatus, and, to some extent, 
of the products. Unfortunately for our knowledge of the former extent of the 
local fishing industry, the records of the captains of the ports were either destroyed 
or carried away at nearly every port when the change in government took place. 
Upon the American occupation the granting of exclusive fishing privileges in the 
waters of Porto Rico and its adjacent islands was abolished by an official order. 
The local fisheries may prove to be of considerable value, but time and capital 
will be needed to develop them. The number of species of good food-fishes occurring 
about the island is great and many important species are fairly abundant, yet little 
attention is given to their capture. As a rule, the local markets are indifferently 
supplied with fresh fish, usually at high prices. Only the few large fish are dressed; 
none is canned, and the only attention given to curing is when an unusually large 
catch is made, a few being then poorly cured for the home use of the fishermen. Dif- 
ferent methods and more energy in the prosecution of the fisheries are necessary to 
1 Notes on the Foreign Fishery Trade and Local Fisheries of Porto Rico. (Report U. S. F. 0. 1899, 
pp. 1-34, plates 1-6.) 
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