The Punta Gorda herald., 1919-05-29
THE PELICAN is NOT
THE FEATHERED HUN
OF the Gulf, According to Gilbert
Pearson, Secretary of the Nat
ional Association of Audubon
Societies.

The pelican has been the sub
Ject of much discussion, and now
comes no less authority than T.
Gilbert Pearson, secretary of the
National association of Audubon
societies, with an article in the
current Review of Review in
} which he defends this picturesque
feature of Florida's waterscapes
and recites the federal verdict
anent Pelicanus Occidentalis.
In his article in the Review of
Reviews, Mr.. Pearson reviews the
sporadic fights pro and con the
pelican and how he came to make
an investigation. with regard to
Florida he says:
"It was alleged that the peli-
can population of Florida (esti-
mated at one million) destroyed
$950,000 worth of food fish every
day. Certain Florida papers took
up the fight and denounced the
government for having created
bird preservation along the coast
where pelicans could breed in
safety. SO much excitement was
developed that on the night of
May 10, 1918, some man landed on
Pelican island, a government res
ervation in Indian river, and
dubbed to death 400 young peli-
cans in the nests"
Mr.. Pearson relates how the
matter reached the federal food
administration and he was asked
to visit the Gulf and report on
three points: How many pelicans
were living along the coast; the
character of their food; recon-
mend what the food administra-
tion should do. Each state in
tereSted agreed to supply a vessel,
crew and provisions for cruising
1t was arranged that an official
representative of each state ac-
company Mr. Pearson and all
counts and estimates were made
with the cooperation of these
agents.
1t is a well understood fact
that pelicans regurgitate their
food when alarmed. In Florida
| {, 3,428 typical meals were thus col
lected, placed in formalin and
shipped to the bureau of fisheries
atNW Washington.
The official count in Texas was
5000 pelicans, II breeding is
lands being visited Louisiana
was credited with $4,000 birds.
Regarding the Florida inspection
the writer says
"On the west coast of Florida
the birds build their nests in the
low mangrove bushes of small !
keys, but it was not difficult to ar
rive at an estimate of their num-
Der, on which my host, the she'll
fish commissioner, and / could |
readily agree. We found in this
territory about 5000 pelicans, in
stead Of the reported million. 1t
is the writer's opinion that in
June, 918, the brown pelican pop
ulation along thGt 1,400 mile strip
of coast from Mexico to Key West
did not exceed $1,000 adult
birds. "
With regard to the analysis of
pelican meals, the federal fish
commissioner reported that all
specimens collected between Mex
leo and Tampa contained only
Gulf menhaden, a fish never used 4
for human consumption. Meals Of /
pelicans examined south of Tam
pa showed that seven varieties of
fish were mullet, pigfish,
menhaden, pinfsh, thread her
ring, top minnow and crevalle.
Continuing, Mr.. Pearson writes
"Of the 3,428 specimens taken {
in Florida waters only 27 individ-
lal fish were Of kind ever sold s
in the market for food, and not a /
single specimen Of the highly |
priced varieties such as trout, ]