3 REPORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. 
is privileged to salt for winter use a barrel of select menhaden and 
many of the fishermen avail themselves of this privilege. Experi- 
ments conducted by the Bureau indicate that this fish can be rendered 
very palatable by salting and smoking, and also that it makes an 
acceptable canned food. 
Sharks.—The value of sharks as food has been recognized in the 
countries bordering on the Mediterranean, in Great Britain, in Japan, 
and in many other countries. Until recently their use for food in 
the United States has been limited mainly to seafaring people in 
scattered localities, and to the markets of some of our larger cities, 
where they are not infrequently sold under the name of more highly 
valued fishes. The number of markets offering these fishes for sale is 
increasing, and more and more of the product is being sold for what 
it is. 
The flesh is white, slightly gelatinous, and compares favorably in 
food value with other staple food fishes and meats. The flesh of the 
young and of the smaller varieties, such as the grayfish, common to 
our coastal waters, is very good fresh. The flesh of the larger sharks 
may be salted, smoked or kippered, salted and dried, flaked or 
shredded. Experiments conducted by the Bureau indicate that the 
product lends itself particularly to light salting and hot smoking, 
and the kippered product may be canned to advantage. ; 
Results of private investigations reveal the presence of a large 
percentage of hydrocarbon oil in the liver oil of some sharks. This 
property or the presence of some alkaloid may account for the re- 
puted unsuitability for food of the livers and of the flesh of some of 
the species occurring in Arctic waters. However, the flesh of prac- 
tically all of the species taken on our coasts has been tried and pro- 
nounced suitable for human consumption; in fact, that of a number of 
species is spoken of highly as the equal of some of our choicest fishes. 
Carp.—The carp is the most abundant, most widely distributed, 
and most valuable fish in the fresh waters of the United States. 
During a considerable part of the past year difficulty has been ex- 
perienced in s:pplying the demand for this fish. With the increase 
in demand for it in those sections where its merits as a food fish are 
appreciated and with the inability of the regular fisheries to supply 
the demand, the need of developing additional fisheries has an 
felt. The Bureau has extended aid to various sections in widening 
the markets and studying the possibilities for establishing fisheries, 
and has encouraged the use of this fish by people who have been 
prejudiced against its use for food. Among the services performed 
may be mentioned that of establishing connections between producers 
seeking markets and the trade in the larger consuming centers. 
A number of the States have also appreciated the importance of 
utilizing more of the carp and other less-esteemed species, such as the 
buffalofish and suckers, to relieve the food shortage in the present 
time of stress. Noteworthy among these are Wisconsin and Minne- 
sota. During the period from September 1, 1917, to April 1, 1918, 
under the supervision of the State Conservation Commission of Wis- 
consin, 1,264,680 pounds of carp, buffalofish, and suckers were taken 
from the inland waters of that State. As an immediate result of the 
action of the Game and Fish Department of Minnesota in suspend- 
ing regulations in so far as they apply to the capture of rough fish, 
