The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-30
ALL WILL EAT FISH
IS HOOVER PROJECT
Food Administration Is Preparing TO
Place America on Vast Basis for
Conservation of Edibics.

+, Washington. Sept. 29.-Ame orleans
are going to eat more fish after TINS.
The food administration is going to
see to that in its conservation pro-
gram this year. in which the eXpan-
sion of fish consumption Will play a
large part.
| The foundation, in, fact, already mas
! been laid for more than campaign
of publicity TO populariZe fish, very
material organization has been esta y
lished throughout the country in the
form of some central fish marketing
| places and through the missionary
work of administration agents in get
ting dealers to handle fish in commu-
mites where little or none was sold
before.
! Part of the preliminary work has
been done by getting enough orders
from neighboring dealers to make up
a freight-car load--shipments in small
er lots being impracticable over long
lhauls-and then distributing the fish
from some convenient central point
In this way regions where fish here
ttofore have been a novelty of diet are
beginning to make demand for sea
food as a matter of course.
A phase Of the fish consumption to
save cattle viii be through the hotels
and restaurants. All eating places that
co Operate with the food administra-
ton will make fish conspicuous part
of the menus that usually have shown
sea food only as collateral offering.
Campaign Begins This Winter.
This concentration on a fish cam
paign, beginning this winter, although
it will have its difficulties through
taking chances with the always prob
lematical catch. will have now for the
first time since the need of meat con-
lservation became imperative the pros
pect of a fair measure of success, not
only because of the preliminary ma
ton wide organizing of fish handing
land missionary work in arousing fish
demand. but because of somewhat re-
stored fishing facilities and personnel
stripped by the first grasping OF war
needs
Linen that was commandeered by
the army and navy is now being sup
Piled in substitute by England for the
new nets and the repairing of old;
new trawlers are being built--seven-
ty-five of them are now under con-
struction by the emergency feet cor
poration-to replace those seized by
the navy for mine sweepers and other
patrol duty: older men are returning
TO sea fishing at the patriotic call and
younger men are being recruited or
are remaining in the pursuit on the
recognition that this important aspect
OF food production is a national ser
vice of itself and not place from
which to pluck men for other SER
vice.
Wipe Out Hampering Laws.
Another facilitation OF the fishing
industry that the food administration
expects 10 build up in America through
the pressure of the war that has built
I,,%4 r{a 10 no
action of the food administration in
wiping out obsolete and hampering
state game laws applying to FISH. by
means of federal license. the food ad~
ministration controls all the fishing
sources OF the United States both on
| the sea banks which is the main
source of the national supply. and on
the shores and inland waters.
by this means. whicls is expected by
/ the food administration to increase
immeasurably the potential fsh Sup
/ ply the interior of the country espe-
| ciallv will be persuaded to n FISH diet
by an available fish supply hitherto
denied them except through individual
t fishing expeditions. In Lake Utah alone,
virtually unproductive commercially till
+ the work of the food administration
last year exploited its possibilities 10
some extent. there are enough fish
i to every family in Utah.
In reference to this. and the ohjec-
3ttons raised ny some of the. states at
I first TO the food administration arg
( ing of suspension by fine states them
| selves of the hampering FISH law re-
| strictious. the food administration EN- :
| phasizes that, instead OF depicting the
/ fish supply of any particular inland
water, any reasonably intensive fishing
improves the fishing ground to the
/ point OF maintaing the right equil-
brium between aquatic food supply and
fish numbers and fixing the best bal
ance between edible fish that prey on
/ one another.
II Bluef.h n Mig Eater.
Y As an instance OF what an item Ash
/ righteousness constitutes in consd-
ering fish supply. the voracious blue
/ FISH is cited. This fish, which il. OF
/ course a deep-water variety and
! hardly Is subject to constancy OF
catch. much less to any control for
establishing a sort of piscatorial bal
/ ance of power" destroys other FISH
in one season amounting to 100000 oeC
pounds according to n Smithsonian in
stitution estimate. The same eStimatf
gives the average bluefish catch as only
5000 900 900 pounds. although the
| total of bluefish at liberty in the North
Atlantic amounts to approximately
| 4.co0. 000, 900. 900 pounds.