Fishing and Forestry

Fishing has long been a source of food for the domestic market in Nicaragua. The rich fishing grounds of the Caribbean began to be exploited for export of shrimp and lobster only in the 1980’s. A 1987 loan by the IDB allowed the country to double the size of its fishing fleet to ninety boats.

Nicaragua has extensive forests, and despite the large-scale clearing for agricultural sue, about one-third of the land, or approximately 4 million hectares, was still forested in 1993. Most of the forests consist of the tropical rain forests of the Caribbean lowlands, where surface transportation is practically nonexistent. Hardwoods abound in this region, but the stands are mixed with other wood, making exploitation difficult. However, some logging of mahogany, cedar, rosewood, and logwood for dyes takes place. In addition, the large stands of pine in the northeast support logging and a small plywood industry.