The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-05
SHARKS SOON TO
 HAVE PLACE ON
 OUR MENU CARDS
Research Work Likely To Result in Popularizing
 the Fish for Food.
Sharks as Food for Man

Miami, Fla, April 4.-How sharks, abundant as man-eaters on the AL lantic Coast last season, may be util- ized as food for man is one of the ob- jects of a three-Weeks' investigation begun here today by John T. Nichols. of the Department of Fishes of the American Museum of Natural History of New York city.
 MT. Nichols inquiry has been made possible through the generosity of Herman Armour Nichols, well-known in Chicago and New York, and now on yacht in Florida waters.
 It will be wildly remembered by the people of this country that last summer several bathers along the New Jersey coast were attacked by sharks which invaded our northern waters Members of the scientific staff of the Museums Department of Fishes at once began to collate all the information they could secure concerning these wolves of the sea, for science was puzzled by what was, apparently change in shark habits. Sharks are generally to be found along the Florida coast at this season and MT. Nichols expects to gain new facts concerning their life habits and, if possible, give warning if they show any indications of making another in cursion to upper attitudes.
 From an economic point of view, the shark panic of 1916 may result in the development of a new way to reduce the cost of living. The meat of some varieties of sharks is very palatable. In fact, the blue shark, an off-shore species, which reaches a 1ov ci0 ic oh rn1 h whalers Other kinds are not so de- sirable as food. The United States Bureau of Fisheries has recently re- commended the use of dogfish as an article of diet. The dogfish is mere ly, a smaller shark and is found in abundance not only in the south but also quite far to the north. F'reuent- 1y the waters adjacent to Long Is- land teem with these creatures.
 The flesh of the shark, as does that of other animals, becomes tough as they grow old. So far, investigators have been unable to determine the age of captured sharks. In most var ieties of fish the annual growth of the scale gives a clue to their longevity but sharks have no scale. Their skin Is studded with bony tubercles, which gives it that rough quality observed in shagreen.
 In studying the shark, the scientist has hitherto been handicapped by it's bulkiness and the consequent diff cu1ty of assembling a large number of them from different localities for comparison. It is likely, therefore, that the investigations begun by MT. Nichols will be followed by an ex- tensive survey along the Atlantic coast. There is much to be learned concerning the habits of sharks. how ever, about this time among the Flori- da Keys. These islands, owing to their proximity to the Gulf Stream, are de- cidedly tropical, surrounded as they are by the warm waters in which the finny rovers delight. In this region there are many varieties of life which are the natural. prey of the sharks. The greedy scavengers of the ocean enter the harbors and glide about the wharves and gather in numbers in quest of offal from the slaughter houses.
 During the months of March and April the sun has risen so high that a southerly wind brings genuine hot ! summer conditions to Southern F1ori