,&<-<* 



New York, September 24, 1917. No. 48 



OFEl 



Published to advance the Science of cold-blooded vertebrates 



CERTAIN MARINE TROPICAL FISHES 

 AS FOOD. 



By J. T. Nichols 1 and L. L. Mowbray. ' 



The senior writer made a visit to Porto Rico in 191 1 % in 

 the course of a scientific survey of the island conducted by the 

 New York Academy of Sciences in co-operation with the insular 

 government. This visit convinced him that the fisheries resources 

 of the island are by no means utilized to the extent of which 

 they are capable. Compared with those he was familiar with 

 elsewhere, in Cuba, Bermudas, at Key West, and in the Hawaiian 

 Islands, they are little developed. Porto Rican fisheries will 

 doubtless expand with time, mostly along those lines where a 

 beginning has already been made. Whereas, the notes herewith 

 brought together may have little economic value for Porto Rico, 

 they have been assembled for such value or interest as they may 

 have there. 



The junior writer has the greatest familiarity with the 

 capture and utilization of tropical fishes, especially in the Ber- 

 mudas, and has furnished most of the data on that subject; 

 whereas, the senior writer, having greater facilities for consult- 

 ing the literature, is, in general, responsible for references and 

 the remainder of this paper. Both writers have studied tropical 

 marine fishes in various waters since their first meeting in Ber- 

 muda, fourteen years ago. The fish fauna of Bermuda bears a 

 rather close resemblance to that of Porto Rico, and Porto Rico 

 can doubtless learn from Bermuda things of value in developing 

 its fisheries. 



1 Of The American Museum of Natural History, New York. 



2 Of the New York Aquarium. 



