176 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



A REQUEST. 



Our request is that you interest yourself in fish and fish 

 culture. We believe that fish enough can eventually be pro- 

 duced in the state of Kansas to make it quite an important 

 factor in the home supply of food products. As we have stated 

 before in this bulletin, the prices of beef and pork and mutton 

 have been going higher and higher for a number of years. 

 We have no information that will lead us to think that such 

 meat products will ever be very much, if any, cheaper. We 

 know of no good reason why the ponds, reservoirs and streams 

 of Kansas can not be made to yield a good supply of fish food. 



There is no more healthful or more tasteful food than fresh 

 fish. In this connection we desire to put the emphasis on the 

 word "fresh." The sooner a fish is eaten after it has been 

 taken from the water, and killed, the better it is. Fish should 

 always be killed and bled, and not allowed to die, either in or 

 out of the water. If the fish are allowed to die without being 

 killed and bled, as hundreds of fishermen allow them to do, 

 they lose a good part of their flavor. And if they are dead 

 very long, the flesh soon becomes insipid and even tainted; 

 this is especially true where the fish have not been properly 

 killed, bled and dressed. A fish that dies, either in or out of the 

 water, has no chance to bleed, and consequently all the blood is 

 coagulated in the arteries and veins; this not only helps to 

 spoil the flavor of the fish, but invites early decomposition and 

 decay. If the fish are killed, properly bled, dressed and packed 

 on ice, they can be kept for some length of time. Even then, 

 in three or four days they will lose much of their flavor. 



Our experience in keeping fish for a day or two teaches us 

 that the fish should be killed, properly bled, and then wiped 

 dry with a cloth, or with clean grass or leaves. If the fish are 

 to be put on ice, wrap them in paper or put them in a porcelain 

 or granite-ware dish. Do not place the fish in direct contact 

 with the ice. If fish are kept in this way, it will be found 

 that they will retain their flavor much longer than when 

 washed and placed directly on the ice. However, if bloody 

 they may be washed in clear, cool water, which should be 

 allowed to drain from them a few minutes before they are 

 placed on ice or cooked. Some very common and coarse fishes, 

 such as carp, buffalo, redhorse and quillbacks, are better when 

 taken directly from the water, dressed and cooked immediately 

 than many of our most prized fishes that have been kept for 

 several days on ice. Fish should never be frozen, as freezing 

 destroys their flavor. 



A FURTHER REQUEST. 



The further request is that you continue to interest your- 

 self in this fish business, and that you help the Department of 

 Fish and Game to educate the people in your locality concern- 

 ing the importance of fish as a food. It is easy to interest a 



