﻿REPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONEE 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  37 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  canning 
  companies 
  have 
  experimented 
  in 
  the 
  packing 
  

   of 
  long-finned 
  tuna 
  in 
  other 
  forms. 
  Kippered 
  tuna 
  is 
  an 
  exception- 
  

   ally 
  palatable 
  product, 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  fmd 
  a 
  ready 
  local 
  sale 
  m 
  the 
  

   State. 
  

  

  UTILIZATION 
  OF 
  NEGLECTED 
  AQUATIC 
  RESOURCES. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  the 
  Biu-eau 
  has 
  been 
  conducting 
  inquiries 
  

   into 
  the 
  potential 
  value 
  and 
  possibility 
  of 
  using 
  certain 
  aquatic 
  prod- 
  

   ucts 
  which 
  are 
  wholly 
  neglected 
  or 
  but 
  inadequately 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  A 
  notable 
  case 
  is 
  the 
  sea 
  mussel, 
  concerning 
  which 
  

   various 
  reports 
  had 
  been 
  issued; 
  but 
  aside 
  from 
  some 
  little 
  news- 
  

   paper 
  comment 
  only 
  slight 
  public 
  notice 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  recom- 
  

   mendations 
  and 
  suggestions 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  In 
  January, 
  

   1914, 
  an 
  advantageous 
  opportunity 
  was 
  presented 
  for 
  introducing 
  

   this 
  cheap^ 
  abundant, 
  and 
  excellent 
  moUusk 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  prominent 
  

   hotels 
  of 
  Boston, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  judicious 
  cultivation 
  of 
  ne*wspaper 
  pub- 
  

   licity 
  the 
  experiment 
  attracted 
  so 
  much 
  attention 
  that 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  

   months 
  mussels 
  were 
  being 
  served 
  and 
  given 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  place 
  on 
  

   the 
  menus 
  of 
  over 
  70 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  hotels, 
  restaurants, 
  and 
  clubs 
  of 
  

   the 
  city. 
  After 
  the 
  public 
  had 
  become 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  new 
  article 
  

   of 
  food, 
  either 
  by 
  actual 
  trial 
  in 
  the 
  public 
  dining 
  rooms 
  or 
  through 
  

   the 
  numerous 
  newspa))er 
  articles, 
  both 
  serious 
  and 
  humorous, 
  arrange- 
  

   ments 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  placed 
  on 
  sale 
  by 
  retail 
  dealers 
  and 
  

   vendors, 
  wdio 
  were 
  furnished 
  with 
  large 
  placards 
  giving 
  the 
  product 
  

   the 
  Bureau's 
  indorsement. 
  Simultaneously 
  there 
  was 
  issued 
  and 
  gen- 
  

   erously 
  distributed 
  a 
  circular 
  explaining 
  Ihe 
  nature 
  of 
  sea 
  mussels, 
  

   their 
  excellence, 
  abundance, 
  and 
  cheapness, 
  and 
  giving 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   tested 
  recipes 
  for 
  cooking 
  them. 
  About 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  every 
  police 
  

   station 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  was 
  supplied 
  with 
  mussels 
  and 
  circulars 
  for 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  officers 
  in 
  their 
  homes, 
  thus 
  establishing 
  foci 
  of 
  information 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  new 
  food 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  city. 
  

  

  This 
  practical 
  campaign 
  attracted 
  wide 
  attention 
  and 
  placed 
  the 
  

   mussel 
  as 
  a 
  regular 
  commodity 
  in 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  Boston 
  and 
  adjacent 
  

   communities, 
  to 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  consumer, 
  dealer, 
  and 
  fisherman. 
  The 
  

   propaganda 
  will 
  be 
  extended 
  to 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  seaboard; 
  and 
  as 
  

   the 
  mussel 
  is 
  excellent 
  as 
  a 
  canned 
  product, 
  prepared 
  in 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  

   ways, 
  its 
  consumption 
  should 
  be 
  eventually 
  extended 
  to 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  country. 
  

  

  Predminary 
  experiments 
  and 
  inquiries 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  similar 
  campaign 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  the 
  dogfish, 
  but 
  as 
  

   this 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  victim 
  of 
  prejudice, 
  and 
  other 
  impediments 
  to 
  its 
  

   exploitation 
  are 
  recognized, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  legislation 
  giving 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  additional 
  authority 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  its 
  appropriations 
  and 
  em- 
  

   ployees 
  will 
  be 
  necessary. 
  The 
  dogfish, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  rapacity, 
  is 
  

   a 
  scourge 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  it 
  remains 
  unutilized 
  is 
  not 
  

   only 
  itself 
  wasted," 
  but 
  raises 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  recognized 
  food 
  fishes 
  by 
  

   interfering 
  with 
  their 
  capture. 
  The 
  Bureau 
  believes 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  imprac- 
  

   ticable 
  to 
  materially 
  reduce 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  destructive 
  little 
  

   sharks, 
  but 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  brought 
  into 
  consumption 
  as 
  food 
  

   there 
  will 
  accrue 
  not 
  only 
  relief 
  to 
  the 
  now 
  harried 
  fisherman 
  but 
  a 
  

   double 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  consumer. 
  

  

  