wn the J 



established an assured position, and the grayfish is living down 

 reputation which it acquired as a pirate and is acquiring respect a,-*' 

 bility as a fish whose acquaintance is worth cultivating. 



The Bureau of Fisheries now presents the sablefish, which, for no 

 reason of its own making, has lived heretofore under the alias " black 

 cod." It is not a cod, and is not related to the members of that 

 family by lineage, structure, or edible qualities. When it was dis- 

 covered on the Alaska coast in 1811 the only name which it bore was 

 the barbarous one used by the Indians, and the early white settlers 

 and explorers, with the unconventionally common in new communi- 

 ties, gave it a nickname based on superficial appearances. So long 

 as the fish was practically unutilized the misnomer was of little 

 moment, but now that it is entering into commerce it becomes de- 

 ceptive and not only runs the risk of being banned under the pure- 

 / food laws, but is actually misleading to the consumer, who may buy 

 it under the impression that in its edible qualities it resembles 

 the cod. 



The cod is dry-meated, while the sablefish is one of the richest and 

 fattest of American fishes and is to be cooked differently. Its flesh 

 is firm, white, and flaky, with a full, rich flavor, while the fats are 

 almost gelatinous in their consistency. A high authority on dietetics 

 in the department of home economics of the University of Wash- 

 ington says that it " is excellent from an economic standpoint, as 

 there- is little waste, being almost free from bone and requiring 

 very little time for cooking. It is suitable for the humblest home 

 on account of its price and for the millionaire's table from its fine- 

 ness of texture and delicious flavor." 



Until now its excellence has been known to but a few persons on 

 the Pacific coast, but the time has come when, on account of its edible 

 qualities and low price, it should be made known to all. It is found 

 in the deep water off the coast from San Francisco to Alaska, and is 

 particularly abundant from Oregon northward. It has been caught 

 more or less freely by the halibut fishermen for many years, but has 

 been regarded as a nuisance rather than at its true worth, because, 

 with the characteristic American heedlessness of the value of natural 

 resources, it has been neglected by the consumer and there has been 

 no market for it. Millions of pounds have been returned to the sea 

 annually, while the people who should have been using it have been 

 clamoring for investigations into the reasons for the high cost of 

 living. Here is one reason which requires no legislation for its 

 correction. 



The sablefish as caught averages about 15 pounds in weight, al- 

 though it grows much larger. On account of its firm texture it 

 " ships " well and is therefore available fresh far from its home in the 

 Pacific, and frozen (just as good) as far east as New York and New 



