The National tribune., 1899-09-07
FISHING WITH SEA, FALCONS.
Porto Rieans' Unique Style Of Making Fish Catch Fish
Philadelphia Times.

L
Porto Rico has devised a new method o
fishing that will prove interesting to sports
\ men. The fishermen in many localities
are using trained remoras for fishing
These queer creatures are regular falconI
OF the sea, and their captors use them very
much the same as falcons were used in tn,
middle centuries. They are fierce, swif
creatures that can make better time thar
any other fish in the southern waters. anC
they are quite plentiful around Porto Rico
| Their bodies are eel-shaped, but with q
peculiar head, over which a skin like g
bag is drawn. This baggy skin is drawn
up tight to the body at will, so that it offers
no resistance to the water when swimming
and it can be spread out SO that it makes
of little suckers, which enables the fish to
| stick to an object with the tenacity OF a bull
dog.
The nature of the remora is to attach
| itself to hard, fiat surfaces to secure its
food. 1t has learned that by attaching
itself to large fishes Just near the mouth it
can pick up good living without making
any exertion. When shark secures its
prey the parasitic remora secures all the
small pieces before they can be gobbled
up by its host When it once attaches
itself to the shark or whale it cannot be
a ride through the water until it is ready
to seek another host In its wild life in
the sea the sharks avoid its presence and
seek to kill it whenever the two come to-
Sether, but the remora is too quick for its
antagonist and is rarely caught.
The remora is frequently found four and
five feet in length, and is of great service
to the native fishermen. They are caught
by the Porto Ricans in various ways.
Sometimes they will attach themselves
to the bottom of the small boats, and by
dropping overheard little food for them
they can be induced to remain there until
the boat reaches shoal water Then the
fishermen suddenly jump into the water
and turn the boat over on its side, and
before the fish can detach itself they grab
it. When it finds itself caught the remora
refuses to yield up its hold on the bottom
OF the boat, and no amount of pulling can
break its hold when jerked straight up.
But the fishermen have found that by a
few side twists the suckers can be lifted
with ease.
When taken off the bottom of the boat
the captured fish is put in tank of water,
where it is fed and cared for. In time it
learns not to be afraid of its captors. But
it must go through a serious ordeal that
tries its friendship to a degree A small
end. This is a painful but not serious
operation. 1t takes two weeks for the
wound thus made to heal up. But at the
end of that time the fish recovers some of
its friendliness for its captor who has daily
fed it. When the iron ring has been in the
tail for couple of months the first training
of the fish is attempted
By this time it does not hurt the fish
to pull on the ring and it can he lifted up
by it. A light but very strong braided
cord is fastened into the ring, and the
remora is taken to the fishing grounds
for its first lesson. When plunged over
board its first effort is to attach itself to the
bottom of the boat, and net has been
under the boat to prevent this
The remora has been fed very Sparingly
for a week or two before it is given its first
lesson, and it is very hungry when it goes
into the water.
Finding itself baked in trying to attach
itself to the bottom of the boat, the creature
swims out and looks for other prey. If
a shark, large turtle, or porpoise hap
pens to be in the vicinity the remora will
make a dive for it and attach its suckers
to the under side of its body. Then the
fishermen begin to haul in on the line. So
turtle or shark can be
pulled through the water and lifted into the
boat.
There is simply no let-rIp in the fish
after it has once attached itself to surface,
except to tear its body to pieces. If it
attaches itself to a small, worthless fish it is
thrown overheard for another catch If it
brings up a particularly large and valuable
fish or turtle, the fishermen reward it with
an extra allowance of food. In this way
the remora learns to discriminate between
the valuable and worthless fish in marvel
GUS fashion.
Generally. only one successful haul can
be made a day with single remora, and
if the fisherman is going to stay out all
day he will take several trained sea falcons
with him. Each one must be confined in
barrel of water, as two put in the
same tank wou-I fight for the food given