pati on by French, Ja panese, Portu­ guese, a nd Mexicans. To a considerable extent local personnel and investment .,." have repl aced the foreign involvement. T he shrimp fi she ri es of Latin Amer­ ica a re based on numerous species of CARIBBEA SEA large warm-water shrimps of the genus , J Pena e us. gen e ra ll y o f three types: white, brown, and pink. Commercially most important on the Pacifi c sid e are three white species, one brown, and one pink. The Atlantic and Gu lf coasts have two white species, two brown, a nd one pink that dominate the catc hes. Although priced somewhat diffe re nt­ ly and attaining varying maximum sizes, all are readily acceptable to the U.S. consumer. In some areas, several smaller species of shrimp, known as sea bobs, a re abundant. T hey are take n in growing amounts as new markets for them are being developed. Although the larger penaeid shrimps dominate the fis hery, the sea bobs form a resource in reserve for future use. All the white, brown, and pink shrimps have similar life hi stories, and their occurrence in significant quantities depe nds on their stri ct habitat require­ ments. They spend their ad ult li ves on muddy sea bottoms in depths of 1 to 50 fathoms, depending o n the species. MFR REPRINT 971 They spawn a t sea. The very young shrimp move into coastal lagoons or estuaries where th ey spend varying Shrimp Industry of Central America, peri ods of tim e in brackish water. As subadults they move from the lagoons Caribbean Sea, and Northern to nearby ocean waters, where th ey fin­ ish out their li fe span of a little over a South America year. Hence, fi hing a reas are confin ed to open waters over a mud bottom that are adjacent to large brackish lagoons, GEORGE B. GROSS and to the lagoons the mselves. A classic example is the treme ndous nu rsery a rea of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, where the subadult shrimp are ha rvested in INTRODUCTION Ame rica. The present report describes th e lake by beach sein es a nd cast ne ts, the fish e ri es of the last three named and the la rge shrimp are taken by trawl­ areas. The \\Jrm-\\ater shrimp fi shery of ing in the adjacent o pe n waters o f th e the 'Western Hemisphere can be divid ed The fish ery on the Pac ifi c coast of naturall, JIlto six area that have a Central America began at Panama and 111 I III 111 U;ll ~lf ~)\erlap: (1) the South spread both north and south, whe reas George B. Gross is Regional tlantic Coast of the nited States; th e Caribbean and Guiana fi heries Fisheries Attache for Latin Ameri­ 121 the Gulf of Mexico (United States are outgrowths of nited States fi shing ca, assigned to the U.S. Embassy and ,\le'lc~ll. (J) the Pacific coast of in th e Gulf of Mex ico, U.S. fishermen, in Mexico. This report was origi­ I\jc,iCll. (41 the Pacific coast from vessels, plant o perators, importers, and nally issued in a limited edition as Guatemala to Ecuador, inclusive; investors have been involved in nearl y Foreign Fisheries Leaflet No. 73-1 (~) the aribbean Sea: and (6) the all the shrimp fisheries in Latin Ame r­ by the NMFS International Ac­ Atlantic Cllasl nf nnrtheastern o uth ica. There has also been some partici- tivities Staff. 36 Gulf o f Venezuela. No s ubs ta ntia l Mex ican fi she ry in the G ulf of Tehuan­ BuenaH~ntura. CUJl.\(,r\ m(l~t imp\lr­ shrimp fi sheri es have been develo ped te pec developed in the early 1950's tant shnmp grounds are near [-\mer­ ove r rocky o r clean sand bo tto m , no r and reached its peak in 1959. aida and tn the Gulf llf uu~a4ull. dista nt fro m bracki sh wa te r lagoons. A o f 1972, the hrimp fis hery of the Along the PaCific COU\l, the large On the Pacific coast, the la rge Pacific coast from Mexico to cuador white hnmp I dnmtnant ctuulh penaeid shrimps a re fo und in a rel­ has been developed to about maximum the "I>I'hite" shnmp consists llf three atively continuo us band a ll alo ng the capacity, with the fo ll owing possible species: Pellaells .I/yltrrll/,.,1 (S" )I1H~times coast fro m no rthe rn Mexi co to no rthern exceptio ns: al 0 called blue shrimp), P \"(/1I11(//I/CI, Pe ru , with o nl y a fe w ga ps a lo ng a. Fishing in deeper wa ter principally and P. ocC/delllali.1 (the most Impllrt,lnt stretc hes of rocky a nd sandy ho res. fo r pink shrimp, could increa e species in Panama, olomblO, and Ecua­ On the Atla ntic sid e they a re fo und productio n in ome a reas; dor). The latter two are sometimes dark from the southern coast of th e United b. G reater utilizatio n of the mail er in color and are then called brll\\n States to Brazil , including th e G ulf of species of shrimp (as in Pa nama) shrimp, along with P. cull/omILIII;I, Mexi co and the Cari bbean Sea. How­ could inc rease landings in Central the true brol>l'n. The pink hnmp. P. ever. they are no t pl e ntiful alo ng the Ame ri ca; brel·iroslris. is of con Iderable impor­ sho res o f the Greate r and Lesser An­ c. Develo pme nt of suitable smallcraft tance in I alvador and Panama. This till es, and the re seem to be lo ng gaps harbors would resul t in the expan­ deeper water specie i fished \.. hen it in their occurre nce in apparently fa vo r­ sio n of the fi she ry in Guatemala; is plentiful and readily available (dunng able areas al o ng the mainland coast d. Use of la rger boats and additional dry season). This time cotncides \\ Ilh of the Caribbean. po rts coul d result in an increase in the time when \\ hite are not plentiful Thro ugho ut this repo rt, weights are Costa Rican production; and The whites are larger and command a given in po unds, and price a nd va lu es e. Catches in Colombia could be in­ higher price. are expressed in U.S. dollars. Altho ugh creased if more vessels were per­ In addition to the big penaeld hnmps, most of the countries in the area use the mitted to enter the fis hery. which are the mainstay of the export metri c system of we ights and have dif­ shrimp indu try, ignificant quantities O the rwise, harvesting of known ferent c urrenc ies, the industry is ti ed of four pecie of smaller. hrimps CI)l1- shrimp stocks appears near maximum, so closely to U.S. practi ces and th e U.S. tribute to the catche , particularly tn and future fl uctuation in catches will market tha t even th e fi shermen and EI al'.ador, Panama, Ecuador. and be d ue to changes in the natural abun­ plant wo rkers ta lk in terms of po unds Costa Rica. The e are: the purplish dance of shrim p, or to changing market and do ll ars. brown Xiphopenaells /"I\ 'e u and the conditions. yellow and orange Prolrachypene pre­ THE SHRIMP FISHERY OF THE S h ri m pare tound in commercial cipua, which are known as . ea bllb or q uanti ties along most of the Pacific "titi;" and Trachypenaell.\ hyrdi and PACIFIC COAST OF CENTRAL coa t of Central America. The Guate­ AND SOUTH AMERICA T. /llOe, I>I'hich are vanousl) calit'd mala grounds are actually an extension "tigre," "indio," "zebra"' (or "cehra"l, of the Mexican grounds in the Gulf of and "carabali." In some area. all the General T ehuantepec. In fact, several incidents mall shrimps are collecti'.ely called have occurred involving the trawlers of "chacalin "; elsewhere they are knl\\\ n Shrimp fi shing o n the Pacific coast both countries fishing off the coa t of as "camaroncillo." sta rted in northe rn Mex ico as earl y as the o ther as fishing success varies north 194 1, but it wa no t until the 1950's th a t o r south of the border. In turn, the any la rge-scale fi shing began elsewhere G ua te mala grounds merge into tho e Guatemala o n th e coast. Commercia l shrimp fi sh­ o ff I Salvador, which are probably the ing in Pana ma began in 1950 a nd within most productive of any along the Cen­ Guatemala has a PaCific coastline of a few mo nths had become a n importa nt tral American coast. Surprisingly, the about 155 mile. The two port. ham­ industry. G ulf of Fonseca produces little shrimp. perico and an Jose , are open. un The Panamani an industry ex pa nded Accordingly, Honduras, which faces protected roadstead \.. ith pier hut n o rapidly that ma ny producers left the Pacific on only part of the Gulf, harbors. hamperico i about 25 mile for' less c rowded wa te rs.