172 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



a hardship on the fishing industry, for it has created 

 an abnormal demand for sea-food on Friday with 

 only a slight call for these products on other days. 



In Japan, Norway, Scotland, Newfoundland, and 

 many other countries, sea-foods are more important 

 factors in the diet than in this country. The quantity 

 of fish and shell-fish consumed in Japan is especially 

 great; this may not be entirely a matter of choice, 

 however, as relatively little meat is produced in that 

 country. The Scotch, Dutch, Germans, and Scan- 

 dinavians eat enormous quantities of salted and 

 smoked fish, especially herring. The Portuguese and 

 Spanish peoples of Europe and America consume 

 much salted cod, haddock, cusk, and pollack ; in fact, 

 in many West Indian and South American cities, 

 salted cod is the only fish available on the markets. 



It is not my purpose to consider the preparation 

 of fish for the table or to discuss the kinds of sea- 

 foods eaten by peoples of various nationalities, but 

 rather to deal with the food value of the common fish 

 and shell-fish. Many persons have never considered 

 the nutritive value of fish but eat them merely be- 

 cause the eating of fish on Fridays is a long- 

 established custom. Therefore it may be worth while 

 to see what part sea-foods play in our nutrition. 



Composition of Fish 



Fish contain large amounts of protein, varying 

 amounts of fat and fat-soluble vitamines, and much 

 mineral matter. Fish resemble meats in being de- 

 ficient in carbohydrates, but oysters, clams, and 

 other mollusks contain a considerable amount of 



