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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



good judge of fish, and will give him latitude 

 in the si^ecies furnished, a greater variety 

 probably can be used, without danger of 

 making a mistake, than would be practicable 

 to purchase in any other way. Probably 

 about a hundred species worthy of trial occur 

 each year in the New York market, Avhich 

 has a geographical j)osition rendering it ac- 

 cessible to a greater variety of good fresh 

 food fishes than any other world market 

 with which I am familiar. 



Occasionally delicious food fishes not ordi- 

 narily common in the vicinity of New York 

 become abundant and are taken in large 

 numbers. A ease in mind is that of the 

 croaker, a very excellent pan fish which was 

 abundant during the past summer. Under 

 existing conditions this catch of croakers 

 was wasted. There should be some way of 

 "taking up such slack" in the market possi- 

 bilities. 



Certain notable fishes are especially worthy 

 of introduction into the market either be- 

 cause of their special excellence or, if of an 

 inferior grade because they can furnish a 

 cheaper supply of fresh and Avholesome fish. 

 From time to time the United States Bureau 

 of Fisheries institutes more or less successful 

 campaigns for the introduction of . such 

 species. A recent attempt of this nature to 

 introduce the tilefish seems to have been one 

 of the more successful, perhaps because tile- 

 fish has an attractive and striking appear- 

 ance and a distinctive and easy name. 



On the Pacific coast many smeltlike fishes 

 of great delicacy of flavor are taken in large 

 numbers. There probably is no reason why 

 the people of New York should not have 

 regularly the benefit of this supply, but we 

 are not aware that these species have been 

 brought to our market to any considerable 

 extent. A fish common on the Pacific coast 

 is the black cod (Anoplopoma fimbria) of 

 very distinctive and agreeable flavor. I find 

 that one of the things I look forward to 

 with great pleasure in a visit to Seattle, is 

 the opportunity to order a portion of this 

 fish in one of the restaurants there where it 

 is very largely used. A few years ago I 

 learned that black cod was being shipped 

 east after having been cured in a special 

 manner — in just what manner I never dis- 

 covered — and that it was being served regu- 

 larly in one of the downtown luncheon clubs. 

 It was thereafter my custom to visit that 

 club as frequently as I could to enjoy this 



delicacy of the Northwest. Unfortunately 

 the discovery was made presently by pure 

 food agitators that the preparation of the 

 product entailed giving it a someAvhat arti- 

 ficial color, which was not allowed, and the 

 supply was shut off. 



There should be a greater utilization of 

 shark for food, many species having flesh 

 which is nutritious, palatable, and not at all 

 tough. That they are not eaten more in this 

 vicinity seems largely due to prejudice. They 

 should be obtainable in sufficient quantity 

 and with sufficient readiness to be salable at 

 a reasonable figure. Furthermore, if the 

 destruction of shark were put on a commer- 

 cial utilization basis, the supply of other 

 food fishes, upon Avhich sharks prey, would 

 be augmented. 



Eoughly, for commercial purposes, the 

 fishes of the Avorld may be divided into four 

 categories. Those of the north occur at 

 various dej^ths, often in vast schools, and are 

 frequently taken on offshore banks. In gen- 

 eral they are firm of flesh and excellent as 

 food. The fish of temperate latitudes are 

 found characteristically near sandy shores. 

 This group contains a great variety of deli- 

 cious species. Then there are fishes of the 

 tropics, found about coral reefs, or in deeper 

 water. Difficulty of obtaining any one va- 

 riety of tropical fishes in great quantity, and 

 special problems in marketing them, prob- 

 ably preclude their export, although in many 

 places they form an important factor of 

 local food supply, and should do so in others. 

 Finally there are fishes of fresh waters. 



New York is almost unique in its accessi- 

 bility to a fish sui)ply from the first tAvo and 

 more important groups. Our hot summers 

 raise the temjierature of the inshore sea 

 water to the neighborhood of seventy degrees 

 Fahrenheit, and bring fishes of the second 

 group north into our bays. The bleak north- 

 Avesters of winter bring the cod down to us 

 from behind Cape Cod. Local familiarity 

 thus obtained with both northern and south- 

 ern species introduces them to the market, 

 and at any time of year they are readily 

 imported from a little farther north or south 

 along our coast. At the same time trans- 

 portation facilities from the west enable 

 NeAV York to obtain fish readily from the 

 extensive inland lakes and rivers, and even 

 to tap the unrelated fishery resources of the 

 distant Pacific. 



Doubtless the fish supply of New York, 



