REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. oa 
1,382,187 pounds of carp were taken and marketed between October 
1, 1917, and February 1, 1918. 
Drum.—The common drum is found on the coasts of the Middle 
Atlantic, South Atlantic and Gulf States, sometimes in very large 
schools. It is a bottom feeder, subsisting largely upon crustaceans 
and mollusks, and reaches a weight of about 150 pounds. Personal 
prejudice, because of the presence of muscle parasites in the posterior 
part of the back, has greatly restricted the use of this important food 
fish. On the other hand, some persons familiar with this condition 
consider the infested portion the most desirable part of the fish. 
While the fish may be marketed fresh or preserved in various ways, 
it is as a canned product that it is most appetizing. Prepared in 
this manner, it has been likened to the meat of chicken. 
The Bureau has given considerable attention to the development of 
markets for this fish, but, because of the irregular movements of the 
schools, some difficulty has been encountered in obtaining steady 
sources of supply. It is expected, however, that this difficulty will 
be overcome and that larger quantities of this wholesome fish will be 
made available. 
Whales and porpoises.—Whales and porpoises being mammals and 
their bodily activities being essentially the same as those of a cow, 
horse, or other land mammal, their flesh is “ meat” rather than “ fish.” 
The meat of the whale resembles beef in texture and appearance, and, 
although by some it has been compared to venison in taste, it never- 
theless has a distinctive flavor of its own. A sample of canned whale 
meat, analyzed by the Bureau, contained 30.11 per cent protein, 6.52 
per cent fat, and 1.8 per cent ash. Of the whales, the humpback 
(Megaptera nodosa) is probably the best for food, but the sei whale 
(Balenoptera borealis) and the finback (Balenoptera velifera) also 
yield excellent meat. From a humpback whale about 6 tons of edible 
meat may be obtained, from the sei whale 5 tons, and from the fin- 
back 8 tons. The whales which are largely available for food subsist 
almost entirely on a small shrimp (Zuphausia). In fact, none of 
these whales eat fish habitually and only do so at all when shrimp 
are not to be obtained. 
Whale meat holds an important place in the dietary of the Jap- 
anese and is growing in favor in other countries. The Bureau has 
emphasized the importance of utilizing this product for food, and 
very satisfactory progress has been made in saving and marketing it. 
On the west coast one whaling company in August, 1917, completed 
a 25-ton cold-storage plant, with a sharp freezer to care for 50 tons, 
and during the season marketed over 80 tons of the fresh meat in 
American markets, principally in west-coast cities. Arrangements 
have been made for marketing 500 to 600 tons during the 1918 
fishing season, and shipments are being made in carload lots as far 
east as Boston. A British Columbia plant also marketed a large 
amount of the fresh meat and was prepared to pack about 50,000 
cases of the canned meat in 1918. 
Porpoises and dolphins are excellent for food, by some preferred 
to the larger whales. The Bureau has been instrumental in bringing 
the value of these forms to the attention of fishermen 0n the Atlantic 
and Gulf coasts, and progress is being made in the establishment of 
