El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-29
Menhaden Battle Waste
Fish Used For Fertilizer Multiply
Faster Than They Can Be
ExtravaEantIy Used.
-By Frederic j. HaGkin ----

kENN ASIDE from lDO0s no OLuEE llSn
w product of the United States
is so valuable commercially as that pro-
vided by the utilization of the menhad-
en- herring along the Atlantic coast 1t
includes a high grade fish oil which IS
utilized for many purposes and fer
tiIizer which has to a large extent sup
planted the guauo which was formerly
imported in such large Quantities from
she western coast OF South America
fhe average annual catch of mcnhaden
is 6OO,O0O.U0O fish, from which is pro-
duced about 10000 tons 'Of fertilizer and
over $4,000 barrels of oil, together
amounting to at least $l5OO,OOU II
value. There are now % menhaden fac
tories in this country which engage 20
steamers in taking The fish.
The industry OF manufacturing oil
from the menhaden herring IS now over
Toe years old. although it is only within
the last 80 or 40 years that the industry
has had any commercial Importance In
1911 Charles Baker and John Tallman
commenced making oil out of menhaden
fish at Blue Point wharf near Ports
mouth Rhode Island. They used two
iron pots and at first boiled the herring
over an open fire upon the shore Alter
boiling well, the fish were packed into
barrels or hOEsheads and weights put
upon the lid This pressed the 1lsn
down and the oil rose 10 the top and
was skinned off a man named JOhn
Hunt went into partnership with them
and he SKINNED off the oil and sent II
to New York. The first factory to cook
the fish by steam was built by Baker
in 1913 By this time the value Of the
waste and the water had been recog-
nIzed and Baker used it first in en-
riching his own land and afterwards
offered it for sale The factory IN
Rhode Island for some reason never be
came we'll known and IN the minds OF
most people the menhaden Industry
originated IN Surrey, on the coast OF
- a tn1I1Iber of Years it centered
there because Of the immense schools
o. these fish which were found along
the shores. Twenty years ago $z,UVVs-
coo capital was invested IN the Inenhdu-
en- industry along the Maine coast ana
then suddenly the fish deserted InOse
shores and the factories stood Idle
These fish then became nouceaP5ly
abundant along the coast OF the MD
die Atlantic states centsriug IN VIZ
zinia. which state now IS the leader IN
the menhaden industry a return OF
the menhaden to the New England
coast has been noted, however, Wltnin
the last three years, and last year ana
the year before few barrels OF OIL
were manufactured and there IS now a
strong feeling that IL may again De a
thriving trade there
The nenhaden which is scientifically /
known as BTeVOOrtla tyrannus, mas
many local names along the coast IN
New England it is called. "pOrgle, IN
New Jersey and New York. moss pun
kerr" in Virginia. "Old wives, probably
corruption OF dAEMAh-Ss anu ia LAAo
CarOlinas it is known as fat back
This fish has been taken all along the I
Atlantic coast from the time OF me 1irSl /
settling by the white man Ihey always {
have been used in a small way for 1000 Z
by the negroes and poorer whites along I
the southern coast
Found On Gulf Coast.
The menhaden are now being taken /
quite extensively along the gulf coast. (
They are smaller in size but are full OF 1
oil and several plants have been re /
Gently erected, including one IN Texas,
for the manufacture or the OIL ana Ter
tilfZers produced from this flsh- me /
fish taken in the gulf are heavier IN |
proportion to their length anu are less
active in their movements and there IS I
4 difference OF opinion as TO whether I
these migrate to the northern waters I
and change in their appearance from 4
the exertiOn Of travelling. OF II they 3
remain in the waters Of the gulf per ]
manently.
Used By Indians for Fertilizer.
The utilization of menhaden as fer {
tiliZer is believed to have been common 4
with the indians. as there are old ira /
dftions which indicate that they planted I
them in the ground with the corn IN /
New England. In fact, the word men I
baden" is the angliCized form OF an in !
dian word meaning fertilizer Along |
the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey ]
it is said that the sQuaws gathered the I
fish up in bags. after they had been 4
caught in their nets. and carried them I
in the fan to the fields they were pre- !
pairing for the next years planting
They dug deep burrows with their deer 4
horn hoes and laid the fish in straight [
rows. covering them lightly with earth !
A few months later they had decOm- /
posed and the ground had enriched for I
whatever crop was to be planted
There has been, and still is. great ;
controversy over the advantages OF the !
menhaden industry, some claiming that /
the annual destruction of so great a I
number must eventually tend to eXtl1- I
guish the species It is insisted, how /
ever. by fish culturists, that this is not /
the case with menhaden. During a care
full observation which has extended over
a term of % years, in which period an {
average annual catch of 500, coo, 600 was /
taken. there has been no percepubIs d.
mirishment of the average number q 4
the fish in the ocean.
There are other agencies which les (
sen the number of menhadsn sumo I
scientists claim that they ware really /
driven from the New England waters by
the ocstructiveness Of the dog fish AMI (
MUM upon this fish would nave a ten
haden to the coasts Of this region An
other remedy. the worst south of the
Chesapeake Bay. is the shark. There I
was found in the stomach of a single (
shark taken off the mouth of Cape
Fear river, in North Carolina, and ac-
tually counted, $50 well defined men
baden. most of them entirely whole
Thousands of sharks may be seen prey
ing upon schools Of menhaden along the
same locality.
Tom Ot7-oys-- Oysters and TObsters