Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-05
Bureau Of Fisheries Suggests Canned Shark

to go far from Washington to find ideas
of this sort.
A request delivered at a fish stand in
the largest market in this city for lam
preys elected a stare of establishment from
the proprietor, who, turning to a dusky
attendant, exclaimed:
Jim, did you ever hear of anybody
eating lamprey?"
always thought dem things was poison
II this belief in the poisonous quality
of the lamprey be founded upon the Oft
repeated story of the fate of Henry OF
England, then assuredly the tradition
has been longer lived in the United
States than in England. where this fish
rs said to be esteemed at the present
time a most delectable dish And this
notwithstanding the fact that lampreys
are abundant in the rivers of North
America and are caught in considerable
numbers in the waters of the Potomac
in the immediate neighborhood of Wash
ington
Another unutilized and generally de-
spised fish in this country is the skate.
This fish, prevalent along the Atlantic
coast, has, among the people at large,
no recognition as an edible. Yet IN
London, England, which offers, perhaps.
the most varied fish market in the world,
large quantities are consumed, and not,
it is said by the very poor, either, Tor
the flesh is considered delicate and well
favored. In San Francisco the french
and Italians are said to buy skates,
which they relish food and as 'rafe
au beurre noir" it renders dish which
is the delight Of the Gaelic epicure. This
fish is abundant along the coast from
Maine to Virginia, and is known to the
fishermen by the names bonnet" and
tobacco box.
A number of unutilized fishes of this
country have been extremely popular as
food in former times, and, though now
as abundant, or more so than ever, are
rarely consumed. Prominent among these
is the Gunner, or chogset, small fsh
varying from eight to twelve inches In
length with rather stout body and
moderately pointed head. This fish chiefly
abounds. at present, along the Atlantic
coast from Labrador to Sandy Hook. 1t
is easily caught, as 1t favors the neigh
borhood Of rocks, wharves and bridges,
and can be captured in large numbers by
hook and line or by nets. This fish re-
joices In numerous popular names. the
designation Gunner being appiled to IL
York it is known as 'burgall." in Prov
fncetown it is called "sea perch" and at
Salem 'nipper.
Goode, the founder of the fish commits
sion. from which has developed the pres
emit bureau of fisheries, remarked, in 1SSS.
that the Gunner was used as an article of
food from PASSPORT, Me-, to Boston. but
elsewhere was rarely eaten and often re-
garded with disgust He estimated the
catch of the market boats for Boston at
from 100000 to $4,000 pounds. For the
past ten years the demand for this fish
has steadily decreased. and now very few
are marketed. The live cars at Boston
described by Goode are no longer known.
and what few of the fish are sold are
purchased by the poorer class of people.
The present price is 10 or ID cents dozen.
Another fish. say the government pfs-
catorial sharps. whose grotesque appear
ance has not commended 1t for food pur-
poses in this country, while it is esteemed
by the European epicure, is goosefish, or