﻿CERTAIN 
  CITIZENS 
  OF 
  THE 
  WARM 
  SEA 
  

  

  attack 
  almost 
  any 
  kind 
  of 
  sea 
  denizen, 
  

   its 
  own 
  species 
  included, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  

   the 
  size, 
  and 
  with 
  one 
  snap 
  it 
  can 
  sever 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  an 
  unbelievably 
  large 
  fish. 
  

   This 
  has 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  often 
  to 
  

   fishermen, 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  their 
  catch 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  barracuda 
  before 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  

   hauled 
  into 
  the 
  boat 
  (see 
  page 
  35). 
  

  

  Natives 
  of 
  tropical 
  waters 
  fear 
  the 
  

   barracuda 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  shark, 
  and 
  with 
  

   good 
  cause, 
  as 
  is 
  attested 
  by 
  the 
  injuries 
  

   this 
  fierce 
  fish 
  has 
  inflicted 
  on 
  the 
  bodies 
  

   of 
  individuals 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  unfortu- 
  

   nate 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  struck 
  by 
  its 
  wicked 
  jaws. 
  

  

  Yet 
  this 
  ferocious 
  creature, 
  like 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  all 
  fishes 
  kept 
  in 
  captivity, 
  becomes 
  

   docile 
  when 
  properly 
  cared 
  for. 
  At 
  the 
  

   Miami 
  Aquarium, 
  so 
  admirably 
  located 
  

   at 
  Miami 
  Beach, 
  Florida,* 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   aquarists, 
  when 
  superintending 
  the 
  clean- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  tanks, 
  will 
  pet 
  the 
  barracuda 
  

   much 
  as 
  a 
  child 
  strokes 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  a 
  pet 
  

   cat, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  will, 
  in 
  a 
  seemingly 
  

   gentle 
  way, 
  take 
  food 
  from 
  his 
  hand. 
  

  

  Although 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  the 
  barra- 
  

   cuda 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  poisonous 
  during 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  in 
  reality 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   good 
  food-fish. 
  The 
  writer 
  investigated 
  

   reports 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  poisonous, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  sections 
  where 
  the 
  belief 
  was 
  preva- 
  

   lent 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  reason 
  for 
  it, 
  other 
  

   than 
  that 
  the 
  flesh 
  had 
  probably 
  been 
  kept 
  

   until 
  it 
  became 
  tainted 
  and 
  ptomaine 
  

   poisoning 
  was 
  the 
  result. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  

   barracuda 
  were 
  caught, 
  cooked, 
  and 
  eaten 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  to 
  the 
  natives 
  

   that 
  the 
  fish, 
  if 
  properly 
  kept 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   pared, 
  is 
  a 
  wholesome 
  fish 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  

   As 
  a 
  result, 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  minds 
  of 
  

   the 
  natives 
  have 
  been 
  disabused 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  edibility 
  of 
  the 
  barracuda. 
  

  

  This 
  misconception 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   barracuda 
  is 
  typical. 
  Those 
  who 
  handle 
  

   fish 
  daily, 
  even 
  the 
  old-time 
  fisherman 
  

   who 
  can 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  lead 
  one 
  directly 
  to 
  

   the 
  habitat 
  of 
  those 
  fishes 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  

   waters 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  operates, 
  does 
  not 
  

   fully 
  understand 
  the 
  food 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  

   creatures 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  deals. 
  To 
  realize 
  

   this 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  necessary 
  to 
  investigate, 
  

   even 
  casually, 
  the 
  fish 
  markets 
  along 
  the 
  

   southern 
  Florida 
  coast 
  ; 
  their 
  counterparts 
  

   in 
  the 
  Bahama 
  Islands 
  directly 
  opposite 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  "The 
  Treasure 
  House 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Stream," 
  by 
  John 
  Oliver 
  La 
  Gorce, 
  in 
  the 
  

   National 
  Geographic 
  Magazine 
  for 
  January, 
  

   1921. 
  

  

  and 
  divided 
  by 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  of 
  water 
  ; 
  

   and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  to 
  the 
  

   southeastward 
  and 
  almost 
  as 
  close. 
  In 
  

   these 
  three 
  localities, 
  their 
  shores 
  laved 
  

   by 
  the 
  same 
  stream, 
  in 
  practically 
  the 
  

   same 
  climate, 
  the 
  food-fishes 
  chosen 
  in 
  

   the 
  market 
  are 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  so 
  unlike 
  

   as 
  to 
  lead 
  one 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  altogether 
  

   different 
  ranges 
  of 
  sea 
  life 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  

   three 
  sections. 
  

  

  FOOD 
  VAUJ£ 
  OF 
  WARM-SKA 
  FISH 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Florida 
  markets 
  the 
  several 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  grouper 
  family 
  are 
  highly 
  

   considered 
  and 
  find 
  a 
  ready 
  market, 
  while 
  

   in 
  Bermuda 
  these 
  fishes 
  are 
  not 
  looked 
  

   upon 
  with 
  favor. 
  The 
  groupers 
  represent 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  families 
  of 
  fishes 
  in 
  

   tropical 
  and 
  subtropical 
  waters. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  reach 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  eight 
  to 
  ten 
  

   feet 
  and 
  weigh, 
  at 
  times, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  600 
  

   pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  grouper, 
  which 
  grows 
  to 
  be 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  family, 
  is 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  wary 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  of 
  fishes 
  to 
  land. 
  When 
  one 
  is 
  still- 
  

   fishing, 
  this 
  species 
  will 
  sometimes 
  en- 
  

   circle 
  the 
  bait 
  for 
  hours 
  before 
  deciding 
  

   to 
  take 
  it. 
  

  

  One 
  would 
  imagine 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  looks 
  

   its 
  surroundings 
  over 
  very 
  carefully 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  venturing 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  bait; 
  but, 
  

   when 
  appa- 
  ^ntly 
  satisfied 
  that 
  it 
  should 
  

   take 
  it, 
  the 
  black 
  grouper 
  bites 
  at 
  it 
  most 
  

   vicioi 
  sly 
  and 
  forthwith 
  makes 
  for 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  coral 
  reef, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   it 
  often 
  frees 
  itself 
  by 
  running 
  the 
  line 
  

   over 
  a 
  sharp 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  reef. 
  Once 
  

   the 
  hooked 
  fish 
  reaches 
  a 
  hole, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face. 
  Trolling 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  best 
  way 
  to 
  

   take 
  the 
  black 
  grouper 
  (Color 
  Plate 
  IV). 
  

  

  The 
  Nassau 
  grouper 
  is 
  another 
  large 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  It, 
  like 
  the 
  other 
  

   groupers, 
  inhabits 
  the 
  coral 
  reefs 
  and 
  

   lives 
  a 
  solitary 
  life, 
  except 
  during 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  season, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  gregarious. 
  

   During 
  this 
  period 
  it 
  congregates 
  in 
  large 
  

   shoals, 
  from 
  which 
  habit 
  the 
  family 
  re- 
  

   ceives 
  its 
  name. 
  The 
  Nassau 
  species 
  

   changes 
  color 
  with 
  great 
  facility, 
  but 
  

   during 
  the 
  change 
  a 
  black 
  spot 
  at 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  retains 
  its 
  deep 
  color, 
  no 
  

   matter 
  what 
  other 
  tints 
  may 
  come 
  and 
  

   go 
  all 
  over 
  its 
  body 
  (Color 
  Plate 
  III). 
  

  

  The 
  red 
  grouper 
  is 
  not, 
  on 
  the 
  average, 
  

   as 
  large 
  as 
  its 
  Nassau 
  cousin, 
  forty 
  

  

  