Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-08-04
The GOLDFISH INDUSTRY.
DUTCH CLAIM HONOR OF DISCOVER.
ING ITS FOOD VALUE.
Next TO Herring II 10 the Most important
Git Of the Sea TO the Human Race Tho
System OF Trawllng and Curing.

This may be partially due to its exten-
sive distribution over the globe, for II
inhabits both of the northern divisions
Of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and
even the polar sea to distance beyond
the Arctic circle.
The Dutch claim the honor of hav.
Ing been the first race to discover its
food value, and tradition says they ate
1t In the fourteenth century. How
ever, we have authentic records that
the Banks of Newfoundland were
visited by the French us early as 1904
and by the Spanish about dozen years
later. 1t Is said that Cape Cod was
first so called by Bartholomew Gosnold
In 1902, who caught so many fish of
the coast that "he pestered his deck
with them.'
Even that gallant explorer. Captain
John Smith, was much exalted over his
luck while fishing Mt the Isle of Shoals
In 1914. In writing Of 1t lie says:
"What sport doth yield more pleas.
Ing content and less hurt of charge
than angling with hook and cross.
Ing the sweet air from Isle to isle over
the silent streams of calm seal 7"
Thus It will be seen that the Banks
and Shoals were early recognized as
important fishing statlOns-an honor
they retain to this day.
Although our South country cannot
boast Of a catch sufficiently large to
equal even the smallest one taken on
the Banks, vet she brags about indlvid-
ual fish Of by no means contemplate
size, and the yarns spun by her fisher.
men are on a parallel In regard to
veracity with any told In the world.
The cod belongs to the same order as
the haddock, halibut, founder. turbOt,
and other similar fishes. The distinct.
I've characteristics Of the genus are:
Three dorsal and two ventral fins with.
out splnes and small appendage
(called barbule) hanging from the lower
Jaw, which latter indicates that the
cod Is O deep.sea fish. A noticeable
feature is that the swim bladder has
no connection with the gullet, which
proves Its use for hydrOstatic purposes
alone. When this organ Is expanded
the specific gravity Of the fish Is les.
sened, and 1t can thus rise to the sur.
face Of the water, but II contracted
the animal sinks.
The Gadus morrhua 0he Gods sclen.
tific name) 10 Of the galldae family,
and, unlike the other members, IL not
migratory fish, but lives In great
colonies on limited territory. When
fresh from the water the back Of the
cod is Sreenish brown color, thickly
spotted with reddish yellow dots. Its
belly 10 q silvery Opaque white and the
6ns are q pale green. 1t may be dis.
tinguished from the haddock, by the
lateral line that runs from the end Of
its gllls to its tail. On the haddock
this line 10 q dark color, while on the
cod II 10 q pure white.
The cod spawns In February, from
100000 to 100000 eggs being the
deposit Of single female. BY the end
Of spring the young fish have grown to
about an inch In length. However, they
are not suitable for market before
their third year, when they usually
measure three feet and weigh any
where from ~ to 20 pounds apiece. II
IL rare thing lin the South county,
for the Goldfish to attain a weight
greater than twenty-five or thirty
pounds. Upon the Banks few are
caught which weigh over eighty. and
those that weigh from twenty-five tG
afty pounds are more common. Two
men can catch upward Of 900 fish In
day of the Newfoundland coast
South county fishermen are more con
scrvative In their estimate.
The fish Ii Of the greatest food value
during the three months previous tG
Christmas. 1t Is then cought by means
Of "long" or ''hand" lines cast of from
the shore or from boat. When the
warm weather arrives the cod resorts
to deeper water-usually from twenty
Ave to fifty fathoms-as It is strictly q
cold water Ash. Here It feeds upon
worms, sand eels, she'll Ash, crustacea
and other small fish Of various kinds
During this season, which may las
from April until fall. the men live II
rough shanties along the coast, In ordel
to be near their work, as the vocation
: occupies all their time. Since the ist
now dwell In too deep water for thu
seine or hand lines to he used advan
tageously they are caught by a process
known as "trawling," which was frs
introduced into this country about 1SU'
by the French.
. A urawl consists of main lin,
J about 5000 feet In length, having short
er ones, which are generally 80 inches
long, with a strong iron hook tied Il
each, attached to the main line from
three to six feet apart, so that ever!
trawl has from 800 to 1000 hooks
upon 1t. Each end Of the main lint
has q small anchor attached to II, anl
two buOys, which may be nothing
more than empty kegs, are also fasten
ed, one at either end, by means Of lOni
ropes. 1t Is customary to put shOr
pole In the head of each buoy to which
10 attached a Tag bearing the inhial
of the owner or other trade mark b!
which he can tell his property ct ,
short distance.
CLANS, Holsters, sIuld, herring ant
other small fish are used to bait thu
hooks with. Each fish will bait fOu
or five hooks. Squid is preferable t
all the others but cannot always be oh