﻿CERTAIN 
  CITIZENS 
  OF 
  THE 
  WARM 
  SEA 
  

  

  By 
  Louis 
  L. 
  Mowbray 
  

  

  Director, 
  Miami 
  Aquarium 
  and 
  Biological 
  Laboratory 
  

  

  EVEN 
  man's 
  most 
  terrific 
  wars 
  

   against 
  his 
  fellows 
  have 
  a 
  respite; 
  

   they 
  are 
  but 
  cataclysms 
  in 
  the 
  

   normal 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  bat- 
  

   tle 
  of 
  fish 
  against 
  fish 
  — 
  furious, 
  quarter- 
  

   less, 
  to 
  the 
  death 
  — 
  is 
  everlasting. 
  So, 
  

   within 
  the 
  warm 
  balmy 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  Stream 
  off 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  where 
  

   the 
  lazy 
  waves 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  seem 
  to 
  

   typify 
  peace, 
  the 
  never-ending 
  Armaged- 
  

   don 
  of 
  the 
  finny 
  world 
  rises 
  to 
  its 
  highest 
  

   pitch. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  for 
  the 
  human 
  

   mind 
  to 
  conceive 
  the 
  continuous 
  struggle 
  

   for 
  existence 
  that 
  in 
  these 
  warm 
  seas 
  

   goes 
  on 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

   If 
  such 
  conditions 
  existed 
  on 
  land 
  and 
  

   the 
  resultant 
  mental 
  strain 
  were 
  not 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  for 
  by 
  Nature, 
  few 
  would 
  survive 
  

   the 
  constant 
  tension 
  upon 
  the 
  nervous 
  

   system. 
  

  

  A 
  fish 
  starting 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  another 
  

   frequently 
  attracts 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  one 
  

   of 
  a 
  larger 
  species 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  turn 
  pur- 
  

   sued. 
  Often, 
  in 
  southern 
  waters, 
  when 
  

   an 
  angler 
  hooks 
  a 
  fish, 
  and 
  before 
  it 
  can 
  

   be 
  drawn 
  into 
  the 
  boat, 
  it 
  is 
  cut 
  in 
  two 
  by 
  

   the 
  jaws 
  of 
  a 
  larger 
  enemy 
  ; 
  for 
  most 
  

   carnivorous 
  fish 
  seem 
  instantly 
  to 
  sense 
  

   prey 
  when 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  number 
  is 
  in 
  

   trouble, 
  and 
  a 
  blood 
  lust 
  becomes 
  epi- 
  

   demic 
  forthwith. 
  

  

  Even 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  this 
  ceaseless 
  strug- 
  

   gle, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  warm 
  seas 
  teem 
  

   with 
  fish, 
  reptiles, 
  crustaceans, 
  and 
  other 
  

   creatures. 
  There 
  Nature 
  both 
  pours 
  forth 
  

   and 
  destroys 
  life 
  with 
  unsparing 
  hands. 
  

   That 
  species 
  may 
  survive, 
  and 
  even 
  pros- 
  

   per, 
  though 
  surrounded 
  by 
  implacable 
  

   enemies, 
  she 
  has 
  given 
  all 
  creatures 
  of 
  

   these 
  waters 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  reproduce 
  

   themselves 
  an 
  almost 
  unbelievable 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  times. 
  

  

  OBSERVATIONS 
  OF 
  MORE 
  NORTHERLY 
  FISH 
  

  

  A 
  single 
  female 
  fish, 
  during 
  the 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  period, 
  holds 
  potential 
  life 
  in 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  running 
  into 
  millions. 
  It 
  is 
  esti- 
  

   mated 
  that 
  a 
  6-pound 
  mackerel 
  produces 
  

   1,500,000 
  eggs 
  at 
  one 
  time; 
  a 
  cod 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  21 
  pounds, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  computed, 
  

  

  produces 
  2,700,000 
  eggs, 
  and 
  a 
  77-pound 
  

   cod, 
  9,100,000; 
  and 
  a 
  close 
  scientific 
  study 
  

   and 
  research 
  show 
  that 
  a 
  13-pound 
  pol- 
  

   lock, 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  family, 
  produces 
  over 
  

   2,569,000 
  eggs, 
  and 
  a 
  23^2 
  -pound 
  pollock 
  

   over 
  4,000,000 
  at 
  one 
  spawning. 
  

  

  THE 
  SURVIVAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  FITTEST 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  better 
  way 
  to 
  realize 
  the 
  

   keenness 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  battle 
  for 
  existence 
  

   than 
  to 
  picture 
  the 
  result 
  if 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  the 
  

   lion 
  should 
  lie 
  down 
  with 
  the 
  lamb 
  ! 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  imagine 
  what 
  would 
  

   happen 
  if 
  these 
  staggering 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   eggs 
  were 
  not 
  interfered 
  with 
  by 
  enemies, 
  

   if 
  all 
  the 
  young 
  hatched 
  out 
  were 
  safe 
  

   from 
  violent 
  death, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  young 
  

   females 
  in 
  turn 
  soon 
  began 
  contributing 
  

   their 
  millions 
  of 
  eggs. 
  The 
  operation 
  of 
  

   this 
  tremendous 
  geometrical 
  progression 
  

   would 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  fill 
  every 
  cubic 
  foot 
  

   of 
  the 
  seas, 
  vast 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  with 
  living 
  

   creatures 
  ; 
  the 
  oceans 
  would 
  be 
  unnavi- 
  

   gable 
  — 
  a 
  compact 
  mass 
  of 
  animal 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  battle 
  of 
  the 
  seas, 
  then 
  — 
  the 
  un- 
  

   ending 
  strife, 
  the 
  seemingly 
  heartless 
  

   preying 
  of 
  one 
  creature 
  upon 
  another 
  — 
  

   has 
  its 
  definite 
  need 
  in 
  the 
  world's 
  econ- 
  

   omy. 
  

  

  The 
  strife 
  of 
  the 
  seas 
  takes 
  many 
  

   forms. 
  Fishes 
  that 
  feed 
  in 
  shoals 
  have 
  

   a 
  well-planned 
  method 
  for 
  acquiring 
  their 
  

   living 
  food, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  procedure 
  is 
  

   carried 
  out 
  so 
  often 
  that 
  it 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   workings 
  of 
  an 
  exceptionally 
  well-trained 
  

   body 
  of 
  soldiers. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  shoal 
  of 
  smaller 
  fish 
  is 
  located 
  

   near 
  the 
  shore, 
  the 
  larger 
  fishes 
  encircle 
  

   the 
  shoal, 
  herding 
  it 
  to 
  an 
  almost 
  compact 
  

   mass, 
  occasionally 
  darting 
  into 
  it 
  and 
  get- 
  

   ting 
  a 
  mouthful. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  

   strike 
  the 
  shoal, 
  but 
  continue 
  driving 
  it 
  

   as 
  bait 
  until 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  fishes 
  at- 
  

   tack 
  it. 
  The 
  great 
  fish 
  then 
  proceed 
  to 
  

   feed 
  upon 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  lured 
  

   by 
  the 
  original 
  prey. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  melee 
  the 
  surface 
  water 
  is 
  

   lashed 
  into 
  foam, 
  often 
  for 
  an 
  area 
  ex- 
  

   ceeding 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  the 
  little 
  fellows 
  are 
  

   jumping 
  every 
  way 
  in 
  their 
  mad 
  efforts 
  to 
  

   escape 
  their 
  enemies. 
  

  

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