The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-06-11
NEW FISH
DISCOVERED
important Finds
At Honolulu
Market.

Notwithstanding the fact that the fish
commissioners have been In Honolulu
but a week. they have already begun
active operations in their different lines.
DR.. Jordan visits the fishmarket daily in
search of new specimens, the fishermen
who contribute to the supply of this
port have been interested, upon the offer
Of cash payments for all fish they bring
to the scientists that have scientific
value. And the gentlemen themselves are
making daily searches. SO far. they
have obtained some sixty or seventy va
rteties. or these some six or seven are
entirely new to the scientific world.
Mr.. John N. Cobb. the agent of the
United States Commission, said in speak
ing OF their work last night, I'VE may
be said to have hardly begun our labors.
l myself did not begin the work upon
which / am to report until this morning.
L have the consideration of the fish ques-
tion TO look at from commercial point
Of view. while my associates will handle
1t scientifically. The future fish laws Of
this Territory will in a degree be govern
ed by our combined report. The United
States Government can pass fishing laws
that will affect her citizens. or any one
else who. may be under her protection,
when they are in neutral waters. This
will enable the Government to make
laws here that will protect the fishing in
dustries Of this Territory.
zone thing that has attracted my at
tenton Is the small mesh that the fish
ermeA use in their nets here. They
might uee so far as all practical pur-
poses are concerned, so much mosquito
netting. A fish has absolutely DO chance
for his life, II 1t once gets inside a net
Of this character. In the States net
that has a mesh smaller than an inch
and a half is not allowed. This gives
Z mesh three inches square. and fish that
are too small for food are allowed TO es-
cape. 1t Is only question of time under
present conditions until the fishing Indus
try hero will feel the effects of this meth
Cd of doing things.
Another thing that attracts me Is the
absolute newness of everything. If we
are able to secure six new varieties in
three or four days by such methods as
we are now pursuing, the question natur-
ally arises how much more wonderful
will be our returns when We begin SEM
ing for ourselves. The six new varieties
are all commercial fish. When we get
out ourselves, and begin to secure those
that are not used for food, and also deep
water fish, we can only conjecture as to
the result.
Nowhere in all our several experiences
have we seen so many fish that are used
for food. At Key West we found, all
told, something like forty-tive varieties.
At Porto Rico forty-eight. Here, In
weeks time, without any effort, we have
secured some sixty or seventy species,
and all of them having an edible value.
"Dr. o. p. Jenkins, of Stanford Uni
versity, who has been detained at Palo
Alto by sickness in his family, will be
here in q few weeks. He Is the greatest
living authority on the fish of this re-
gton. Some years ago he secured a col
lection from the market here. Nearly
all his specimens were new to the scien-
tific world. 1t will be in the interests OF
our work to have him here. and he has
very kindly Gansented to come. Just
when our work will be finished Is hard
to say. The Government wants report
by December LIST, and my own individual
labors will have been concluded by that
time As to the rest OF the commission,
cannot speak go definitely.
Our work here is being greatly assist
ed by Louis Brent, the local fish inspect
or. The nomenclature here Is, of course,
entirely different from anything to which
we have been accustomed. Were 1t not
for his intimate knowledge Of the fish
and the native names, we would be very
much handicapped.
"At the present time l am looking over
the old market reports and getting some
statistical knowledge that will be OF
service later
Mr.. Cobb has been In the service OF the
Government for SOME years. He has
has worked on the Atlantic Coast, In
Porto Rico and n Texas. and other
Southwestern States.