Morning journal and courier., 1881-04-02
Saturday Morning, April ?, 1881.
FISH AS FOOD.

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 It is no longer funny to tell man to eat g whale for the improvement of his brain, be. cause it has been discovered that fish are no richer in phosphorus than other animal foods
 and are worth no more in nourishing the brain Prof. ". O. Atwater. of the Wes- leyan University at Middletown in this State,
 has been engaged in analysing food fish for the United States Fish Commission, and read
 an instructive paper on ''The Chemical Con- position and Nutritive Value of Fish" before
 the American Fish Cultural Association, which has been holding it's annual meeting in New
 York city. Fish eaters will find his state- ments valuable. About one hundred sam- ples of food fishes have been analysed. The proportion of waste in different samples va- ries widely. A sample of founder contained 66 per cent. of waste, while one ssof halibut steak had only IS per cent, the rest being flesh. Among those fishes that have the most waste and the least edible flesh are the porgy, bass, perch, lobster and oyster Among those with the least waste are fat shad, fat mackerel and dried and salt fish When the flesh is considered it is found that the proportion of water is equally variable. The flesh of the founder has 85 per cent. of water and only 15 per cent. of solids, while salt herring has only 35 per cent. of water. Among the more watery kinds of fish are the founder, cod, striped bass and bluefsh. Among those with less water and more solids are mackerel, shad, salmon and salt and dried fish. The total solids or actual nutritive ma terials are equally variable. Thus 100 pounds of founder contain only pounds of solids ; 100 pounds of lobster, pounds; haddock, 9 pounds; bluefsh, II; cod, 12; salt cod, 20 ; salt mackerel. Is; shad, 16; salmon, 27 ; smoked herring, 28. Or, in brief, as con- pared with ordinary meats, the flesh of fish generally, though not always, contains more water. The actual nutritive value is decided not only by the total amount of nutritiye ma- terial, but by the ingredients of the same, the most valuable being the albuminoids or protein substances, the fats having less value. Some very interesting results are found in comparing the foul or spent fish with the same in good condition. As it becomes lean, the fish loses nutritive value in three ways First, in total loss of weight second, in rela- tive increase of waste and decrease of flesh and, third, in the deterioration of the qual- ity of the flesh, which, in the lean flesh, IS more watery and considerably less valuable, pound for pound. than the flesh of the same fish in good condition. Thus the flesh of salmon comes up to 1OS. There is in this a strong argument in favor of legislation against the capture of fish out of season. In general, the fatter fish are more valuable than the leaner. The practical application of these facts, the Professor pointed out, is of the utmost value. The same nutritive sub stances in the different samples of fish were found to vary in cost from 40 cents to $3 per pound. It makes little difference to the man with $5 ,000 year whether he pays 40 cents or ss3 a pound for the albuminoids of his food, provided it suits his palate; but to the housewife whose family must be supported at $500 year it is matter of great impor- tance.
 Taking the nutritive valuation of medium beef as standard, and placing it at 100, the nutritive valuation of various kinds of fish in flesh, free from bone and other waste matter, appears to be as follows: Halibut, S79 cod, 68.2; haddock, 74.9; eels (salt water). 95.6 shad, 9s.2; striped bass, SO.4; black bass. 86.5; mackerel, 90.9; bluefsh S5.4; sal- mon, 107.9; salmon trout, 95.7; brook trout, 84.2; whitefish, 1o4.5; porgy, s5.2; black fish, 93.9; amelt, 73.s; Spanish nackerel, lo5.9; white perch, s9.2; herring, 1OO.4; Y; salt cod, 102.5 smoked halibut, 1922; smoked herring. 63 salt mackerel, ILL i; lobsters, 5O.3; scollops, 68.S oysters Euro pean), 21.S.
 The Association passed resolution declar- ing that the importance of Professor Atwa- ter's researches to the fish industries of the United States can hardly be over- estimated, and urging on the United States Fish Con- mission the importance of encouraging these Investigations to the fullest extent possible. When the work is finished it's results should be put in such shape to be available for the instruction of those who want the best and the cheapest fish food.