chapter 7 



Shark-Eating Men 



Sharks as food? 



Yes! Salted, smoked, kippered, flaked, or 

 shredded, the flesh of many species of shark is deUcious. Fresh shark 

 meat often has an offensive odor, because of the large quantities of urea 

 in it. This can be removed by soaking the meat in brine. Shark has a 

 tendency to spoil more quickly than many other fish. With proper prepa- 

 ration, however, spoiling can be prevented. 



Skates and rays also yield good food, and are considered a delicacy 

 in some countries. The Barndoor skate {Raja laevis) is sold as food along 

 the U.S. Atlantic coast. A close European relative, the Common skate 

 {Raja batis), is an important European food fish. The CaUfornia skate 

 {Raja inornata) is eaten on the Pacific Coast. 



In 1961, an English translation of Laroiisse G astronomique— tht epic 

 book of French cuisine— was published in the United States (by Crown 

 Publishers, Inc.). This encyclopedic book, which lists 8,500 recipes- 

 including some for bear claws and lapwing eggs— all but dismisses shark. 

 But it devotes considerable space to such skate dishes as jelHed skate, 

 skate liver fritters, and foie de raie. 



Compared to other fishes, shark is not a very popular food in the 

 United States. In 1959, for instance, 6,202,000 pounds of shark, worth 

 about $162,000, were landed at public fish markets in the United States 

 and sold as such. This may sound impressive, until compared with, 

 say, cod. In the same year, 59,809,000 pounds of cod worth $3,976,000 

 were landed in the United States. And cod accounted for barely 1 per 

 cent of the more than 5 billion pounds of fish landed in the United States 

 in that year. 



On the other hand, seven sharks, including the dreaded Great White, 

 and three rays, including a sting ray {Dasyatis sabijia), are regularly 

 caught and eaten in Texas, according to the Texas Fish and Game Com- 

 mission. 



Statistics tell only part of the story. Some of the shark eaten in this 

 country does not appear on the dinner plate as shark. When a commercial 

 fish marketer is offered, say, some Mackerel shark, he may be seized 

 by a temptation to bestow disguised shark upon his customers. He need 

 only chop off the shark's head, tail, and fins, then cut it into steaks. These 



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