Bisbee daily review., 1920-03-07
PERU's COAST
HAS FISH F Q R
ENTIRE WORLD
Scientist Tells of Riches in
Waters and on Bird
Sanctuaries


islands are all veritable bird sanctu-
aries. according to Robert Cushman
Murphy, curator of natural science of
the Brooklyn Museum, just returned
from six months exploration in South
America with 500 photographs alb"
10000 feet of motion picture film.
Mr.. Murphy said that on one island
he found 'the most abundant seabird
life on EARTH" as many as 1000 900
feathered creatures of a single spe-
cies.
The fisheries of Peru, he said. are
unorganized and, although fish are
plentiful. including sucL c.Aible vari-
cites as the bonito, anchoveta, pc
jerrey or smelt. the congril (some-
what like cod), the founder and
corvena comparable to the Ameri-
can salmon), Peruvians literally ego
hungry" because of their scarcity
and high price inland due =" ~
problems Of icing and transportation.
A few miles off the coast, the re-
turned explorer said, he let down a
net and drew it out of the sea filled
with four varieties of the most deli
cious edible crabs. These crustsce-
ans, he said. would furnish the basis
for a big canning industry both for
home and foreign consumntion, vast
quantities of such seafood now be-
mig annually imported by the United
States from Japan.
The wonderful fish and bird life"
of Peru, Mr. Murphy attributed to
the Humboldt Current, cold body
of oceanic water which flows along
1900 miles of the coast. He made
many observations of this current.
he said following those of Alexand
Agassiz and DR.. Robert f. Coker OF
the United States Fish Commission
pioneers in such work. Although
Peru's proximity TO the equator. he
said, would cause one TO suprnee fhat
it might have temperature like that
of Florida, it's actual temperature
was more like that of Boston. 'rhS
result of the interesting correlation
between the Humboldt Current end
the abundance OF fish and bird life,
he said, he has covered in more
than 500 pages of data. He also
brought with him sixteen cases and
crates. in many of which a"e sneci-
mems of curious marine and feather
ed creatures.
Mr.. Murphy called attention to tho
guano or fertilizer deposits az Peru.
which, he said. NAV be doubled b.
the conservation methods devised by
Francisco Ballen. a Peruvian. who he
described as zone of the most far
sighted and able economists i'll the
world" In furtherance OF Mr.. Ball
ems plans. the explorer said he adj
vocated increasing the breeding arve
of the enano prodrc'ue bi~ds TT pr'A
sent confined to fifteen islands. the
largest of which are the Chinchi and
Lobos. and where deposits Of ferti.
lizer $50 feet in thickness have been
found.
The value of the guano deposits, he
said, was also due to the action of
the Humboldt Current. the cold
arid land. preserved the ferti'i7ine
qualities of the bird lime Mr. Muir
ply, whose work was aided bv the
Peruvian government, said the islands
might be enlarged by dynamitins the
cliffs into the sea. He also urged
the stoppage of guano gath ering dur
ing the "courtship" of the birds. The
guano, he said. is dug by natives in
the interior of the islands aud car
ried in small railway cars to the
coast where il is put aboard ships.
Expectation of the fertilizer. he said,
was being held in on account of high
ocean freight rates.
The guano birds were enumerated
by Mr.. Murphy as the white-breasteo
cormorant. commercially worth SIS
a pair in Lima); the pelican and two
species of gannet. BY actual eompu.
tation of the nests of some OF these
birds per metre on one of the islands
he estimated that more than 1000
900 of that one species inhabited it
Mr. Murphy said the ancient Incas OF
Peru highly priced the guano birds
and penalized with death anyone who
killed one. Many of the motion pic
ture films he brought back, he said,
showed the life history of the sea-
birds as we'll as the native fisheries
and the guano industry.
In the period from 1910 TO 1905, Mr.
Murphy said. man. Of the birds were
killed off and it is only in recent
years that efforts have been made
to conserve this important resource
of Peru. President Leguia, and other
prominent men, be said. have en-.
couraged foreign scientific men TO
visit Peru for the purpose of ascer-
tanning the best conservation meth
DDS \ steam trsWler aud two
launches were placed al Mr.. Muir
phys disposal upon his arrival at
Lima. and from these he conducted
his researches and experiments
Guano, he said. Is the best fertilizer
known for sugar cane and before the
war vast quantities of it were ship