30 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
determine if a large supply can be depended upon. The species best adapted for 
curing, or canning are yet to be ascertained. 
Cheap ice and quick transportation are two important factors in the fresh-fish 
business, and at present these are both lacking. Ice is to be procured at very few 
places, and the price, $12 to $15 a ton, is too high for its use in the fisheries. The 
few short lines of railroad have no express business, and no fresh fish are transported by 
rail. With few exceptions the common roads are so poor that merchandise has to be 
carried by pack animals. Only those persons living near the seacoast or some of the 
rivers ever have fresh fish. With improved transporting facilities and cheaper ice, 
the thickly settled interior could receive a more abundant supply of fresh fish at 
more reasonable prices, to the benefit of both consumers and dealers. 
The entire absence of machine-made nets is. to be noted. With the introduction 
of capital and the development of the fisheries, there would at once come a large 
demand for these goods. The few nets now used are handmade by the poor fishermen, 
who are seldom able to buy more than a few balls of twine at a time. 
The change in the government of Porto Rico has been so recent that it will be 
some time before the old methods will become modified to suit the new conditions. 
In supplying the island with the large amount of cured fish required annually, 
there will lie changes by shippers and receivers in methods of handling, one of impor- 
tance being a change from the long-time credit system. A knowledge of the coffee 
and sugar industries of the island is important to shippers, as return cargoes often 
have to be secured. The future imports of fishery products may reasonably be 
expected to come from sources that can lay them down at the lowest prices, and to 
some extent handle in return the products of the island. 
As the Porto Ricans are conservative and slow to experiment with unfamiliar 
articles, some time will be required to introduce boneless or other fish preparations 
unknown to them. They are quick to appreciate low prices, and when they learn 
the good qualities of boneless fish, canned fish, and similar foods prepared in the United 
States, a large demand for good articles, at reasonably low prices, may be expected. 
APPARATUS AND METHODS. 
The methods of the Porto Rican fishermen are rather crude, and the boats and 
other apparatus are usually of poor construction. The majority of the boats are 
flat-bottomed, though some have keels. Some are of schooqer, sloop, and cat rig, and 
there are some skiffs and dories with sails. The lateen sail is in general use. Only 
at Mayaguez and Puerto Real did any of the boats have live-wells in which to keep 
the fish. The fishing tackle consists of pots or traps, haul seines, gill nets, cast 
nets, and hand lines. 
The fish pots or traps, or basket traps, as they are variously called, are of simple 
construction, and are worth from $1 to $10. The frame is of mangrove or other 
wood and the body of split wild cane, wood, or bark, woven in 2-inch, 6-sided 
meshes. The body and frame are fastened together with calabash roots, which are 
very strong and, when water-soaked, very pliable. The mouth of the pot is on the 
side with the reentrant angle, the entrance narrowing as it passes with a curve into 
the pot; a small door in the back permits the removal of the catch. The size of the 
pot varies in different parts of the island, the largest seen being 6 feet long, 3 feet 
wide, and 18 inches deep, while others were only about half as large. It seems to be 
