The Audubon Societies 



197 



only be a question of time when the food- 

 fish of this section will be destroyed by the 

 seines, and not the Pelican." 



(Signed) Capt. William M. Sprinkle, 

 Warden, Breton Island Bird Reservation, 

 La. 



"While it is not possible to point out 

 the positive benefit done by Pelicans, it is 

 certain that the damage done by them is 

 by no means so great as claimed. Pelicans 

 feed indiscriminately upon whatever fishes 

 are available, hence make only a minor 

 proportion of their diet of fishes custom- 

 arily used as food for man, since these 

 fishes themselves are in the minority 

 among fishes in general. The Pelicans' 

 habit of feeding only in shoal water also 

 prevents them from destroying some of the 

 valuable fishes; in fact, most commercial 

 fishes are caught in depths of water which 

 are untouched by Pelicans. 



"Finally, there must be kept in mind 

 the risk of .disturbing the balance of nature. 

 In the course of ages Pelicans and their 

 living environment have become fitted to 

 each other in such a way that the existence 

 of neither the birds nor their prey was 

 endangered. No one can predict what 

 might occur were the balance seriously 

 disturbed." 



(Signed) E. W. Nelson, 

 Chief, U. S. Biological Survey. 



"I am not surprised to learn that the 

 fishermen of the Gulf region are using the 

 Food Administration to advance their 

 attack on the Pelican. As a nature-lover who 

 does not reduce every living creature to 

 terms of dollars and cents, I am, of course, 

 unalterably opposed to their demands. 

 The colonial nesting-habits of Pelicans 

 would make it possible practically to exter- 

 minate them in a season, and before we 

 take a step which never could be undone, 

 and rob our coasts of their most interesting 

 and picturesque form of life, we should be 

 absolutely sure that we are right and that 

 the Pelican is as destructive as it is said 

 to be. I claim that the case against it is 

 not proven for the following reasons: 



"First, on the east coast of Florida — 

 a region with which I am familiar — fish 

 were far more abundant when Pelicans 

 were more numerous. 



"On the coast of Peru — a region I also 

 know from personal experience — Pelicans 

 are more abundant than in any other part 

 of the world, with no decrease in the food- 

 fish of that region. 



"Second, in east Florida waters. Peli- 

 cans, in my experience, feed chiefly on 

 inedible fish — like menhaden. 



"Third, Pelicans feed in the main on 

 fish too small to be marketed and a very 



large proportion of which would not live to 

 reach maturity, if they were not taken by 

 Pelicans. 



"Fourth, Pelicans take a fish here and 

 another there, and cruise over a com- 

 paratively wide area, so that at the most 

 their total catch has no appreciable effect 

 on the local fish-life. 



"It would be far more to the point if 

 fishermen were to observe the laws de- 

 signed to protect fish and not blame the 

 Pelican for conditions which they have 

 brought about through their own short- 

 sightedness." 



(Signed) Frank M. Chapman. 



"There was a large gathering in this 

 city of the various people interested in 

 fish and the Food Commissioners of 

 Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, 

 and Florida. A resolution was introduced 

 along the lines suggested in your letter to 

 exterminate all fish-eating birds. I was 

 requested to answer this statement, based 

 on the fact that for many years I have 

 hunted, fished and cruised over a large part 

 of the Gulf. 



"My firm belief is that nature provided 

 the bird as a valuable adjunct to the fish. 

 An immense amount of the food for the 

 various game-fish which thrive in the 

 waters of the Gulf are represented by 

 minnows and other small fish which are 

 unsuitable for food. Many of these fish 

 cannot capture their food when it is on 

 the surface of the water. The various Gulls 

 and Terns drive these small fish under the 

 water where they are promptly used as 

 food by mackerel, trout, redfish, and vast 

 numbers of other game- and table-fish. 



"The same applies in regard to the 

 sardines, or menhaden, which are very 

 plentiful in the waters of the Gulf. None 

 of these small fish are edible, and by 

 countless millions they furnish food to 

 what we call food-fish. Almost without 

 exception, where you find quantities of 

 birds, you find quantities of bait of all 

 kinds. Repeatedly have I seen schools of 

 shrimp running right along the surface of 

 the water, where it was difficult for the 

 game-fish to capture them because they 

 skim right along the surface, but on the 

 appearance of a few Gulls, these shrimp 

 would be driven below the surface and 

 furnish food to all varieties of table-fish. 



"The principal charge I have heard 

 against the Pelican is his consumption of 

 mullet. My judgment is that this is 

 rather limited in comparison with his con- 

 sumption of sardines, and with the wonder- 

 ful reproductive powers of the mullet, 

 the small amount consumed by the Pelican 

 does not seriously interfere with our food- 

 supply. 



