MARKETING FIN FISH FROM THE PACIFIC COAST OF GUATEMALA

Marketing follows two distinct channels, one for the artisanal, the other for the industrial sector. Artisanal fishing is labor-intensive and its products are traditionally sold in the public markets. Fishermen are limited to a small catch due to difficulty in ocean access and primitive fishing technology. Market margins within the artisanal sector are not high. The marketing system is competitive, and individuals are socially constrained from increasing the size and profitability of their business. Although this sector supplies the bulk of fresh fish consumed domestically, it is limited by its failure to transport fish to remote, potentially protein-deficient areas. The industrial sector, primarily a shrimping industry which handles fresh fish as an incidental catch, has a more highly developed market system. This sector deals almost exclusively with supermarkets, specialty stores, and institutional buyers. Retail prices for fish supplied by this sector are comparable with those charged in the public markets supplied by the artisanal sector. It was not possible to make reliable estimates of the marketing margins for fish supplied through the industrial sector, because industrial firms do not keep separate facilities or accounts for shrimp and fin fish and because their capture and marketing operations are highly integrated. However, fin fish do appear to be a profitable product line for the sector. The study concludes with nine suggestions aimed at stimulating production or expanding markets: (1) establish a small trawl fishery; (2) market the bottom fish in cake form; (3) promote underutilized species such as bonito and shark; (4) acquire improved equipment; (5) increase artisanal fishermen"s incomes; (6) develop access to credit markets; (7) penetrate more remote interior markets; (8) promote the use of more efficient containers for transporting fish; and (9) reduce the number of retailers in the public markets. A 22-item Spanish-language bibliography (1967-73) is appended.