El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-05-31
TEENS
MTHSTRANGE
EDIBLE FISH
Mans knowledge of the
Creatures Of the Deep
Sea Is Slight.
THE OLD BELIEFS
ARE EXPLODED

I ONDON, Eng Nay 3L-Now that
l. the seas are open 10 the pursuits
Of peace. and the world is soreIy In
need OF food, many problems Of ocean
geography are likely 70 be solved in
the course Of the quest for deep sea
rations-
The ocean literally teens with food.
The man who declared that human
ity IS a race OF herring catehsrs
might have overstated the case. but
that the sea abouuds in food fishes
and fishes fit for food is well known.
As soon as we begin to study the
subject OF ocean fisheries. however.
we come Up short against the fact
that what We really know about the
inhabitants Of the sea IS startlingly
Il vas not 50 long ago that the
fishermen OF the North Sea Believed
that whales brought the herring in
toward shallow water. a conclusion
they reached from the observation
that schools OF herring are frequently
found in the vicinity OF spouting
whales. In 1906 there was a failure
IN the herring fisheries. and the fish
ermeu blamed the situation on the
Norwegian whaling vessels operating
In that region
Likewise. IL Is still a moot question
whether or not modern fishing meth
DDS tend 10 deDlete the supply. and
whether artificial propagation OF sea
fishes IS a sufficient counter meas
IRE A few years ago a British COM
mission measured the intensity Of
fishing operations IN the North Sea.
Trailing bottles were set adrift. and
e was found that more than half Of
them were recauturec- In certain
localities they were captured at a
rate that indicated 90 per cent retaken
each season Marked fish yielded
largely similar results and the con-
clusion was that a food fish OF adult
size had at least three 10 one odds
AGAINST its getting through the year
uncaugh-
Little Raee suicide.
and yet there IS so little race SUI
eide in the ocean that even such in
teusiFe fishing has no effect upon the
available adult supply For instance.
the female rurhot lays e.50l.000 eggs
q year, and the cod has $500. 001 20
her credit The female FOUNDER lays
100. QuQ, the sole sac. GOO the had-
1Qez i'H.a1t, aud the place 100000.
The poor herring must be content
with meager $1,000.
Much remains 10 be learned about
the migration habits OF the world
food fishes Where DO the salmon so
after they leave the riVers2 Why
Goes the eel, as discovered some time
since BY the Danes. go far out to sea.
tar % the south and west OF the Irish
coast 10 spawn. and how do the
countless hOrdes OF delicate elvers
find their way around the British
Isles and into the continental rfrers2
lnnumerahle are the questions ike
these that the future viii reveal 10
the oceanogran Pliers OF a new day.
The problem Of life in the ocean IS
one fun Of interest and pregnant wlth
valuable lessons for mankind. Even
az the bottom Of the deepest trench
iu the abTsmal region Of the seas bot
tom. where no ray Of the sun ever
penetrated where Stvgian night is
perpetual where freezing tempera-
lures never cease and where incon-
celTaple pressures prevail. the miracle
OF life sin goes on.
Eerie creatures exist in these ut
termost depths. Here IS a fish swim
ming by with light giving organs
ranged in rows from nose 70 tail. on
port and srarnoard sides. a fantastic
miniature OF an ocean liner. alicht
from stem 90 stern. gliding noiselessly
through the perpetual night There
IS another. with well defined
searchlighr with which % explore the
1lacl-ness around Here IS a breath
Ing caricature Of a mermaid with
binoculars, and there a creature whose
eyes are upon the ends Of long ga rs
eaching cut from the head like sun
Towers from the round