The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1920-05-29
|sEt sCAvENeER IS |
FRIEND OF NAN
Expert Says Sharks Can Supply
Good Food and Fine, Leath-
er; Felsh Has Delicate
Flavor.

New York. Prom time immemorinl
the shark has been considered as an
enemy 10 man and scnvcnger OF me
sea. He has been pictured as the
cannlhal of the deep. and In fiction
has been painted MS the monster WHO
Turks about the Inflated ship IN order
10 dcvour the unfortnaates who may
have met their death In a gale or on
the reef. We. therefore. for genera
A, .ions have cherished an antipathy for
this creature of the sea and have been
very willing 10 accept as fact all OF
these stories. never stopping 10 con-
slider that perhaps after all the shark
might have few points 10 his favor.
| To begin with. the shark does NOT
live exclusively on the flesh OF man,
says DR.. Allen Rogers 0f Pratt lnst'-
/ tute. Brooklyn. In the current numper
Of the Journal OF Industrial and En-
cheering Chemistry OF the American
| Chemical society. In fact, there are
| only n few species who would eat hu-
man flesh, even IL 1t were possible for
hem to secure It. The principal spe-
cies considered a man eater. the tiger
shark. probably has seldom had the
pleasure Of this delicacy. Sharks. Ike
all other fish. live on the smaller hsh'
thus upholding the proyerb that the
big Ash eat the little ones.
Sharks Devour Food Fish.
Sharks travel ip schools or slng'y
nnd are found most abundant where
food fish are plentiful. Ttey are es-
neclally fond of the mullet, menhaden,
, mackerel and sea trout. Thus 1t VIII
| be seen that they are migratory ana
, at various seasons are found In diner
emf waters. They are naturally warm
water fish, which accounts for the
llorre number TO be found In the CUR
of Mexico, along the coast OF florlda
md the West Indies. Being rapid ana
nowerful swimmers, they often follow
ships for hundreds of miles. picking up
!, Il food as It Is thrown over the side OF
, The vessel Thus their diet at such
J times is not unlike that of our domes-
Tic hog and poultry. 1t Is claimed py
fisher folk that the shark will not eat
nnsound food. which shows him even
more particular than our friend the
/. porker. Why, then, IL he is so clean
, in his habits of life. should we DIS
,riminate against him!
The bureau of fisheries for several
wears has endeavored 10 interest the
neonle in this country In using shark
meat MS an edible product. with Ger
: ltnln amount OF success. In TACT ,nh'
= species of shark known as the dog nsf
!, is being canned In large quantities ant
= sold under the name of gray hsh. Ger
tain fisheries on the New Englan'
: coast are removing the head, tail an'
Ans md selling the product In Bostcl
y and New York as deep-sea sword hsn
Italians Eat EN-.
In Boston. also shark meat Is bein
sold MS such to the Italian trade WI
annreclate its food value and enjoy u
. delicate favor. Why, then, should
!, not take lesson from the ltalians an
], acquire the shnrk-eating habitf
!. For the last five or six years III
- writer has been interested In develol
!. ing method for converting shar
~ Skins into merchan'able leather. a
- q result of this work several process
have been devised which have pee
assigned to company operating MS
cries in the south.
.orvotiva estimate indicate
lat that for a catch OF 1000 sharks dall
rh at an average weight of 200 ponno
there would he 100000 pounds OF MS
en- AS at least so per cent could be us
ne for human consumption. we won
ne have 100000 pounds daily, or 73,oo
ne 600 pounds annually. Assuming IN
,us the market price could be set at
ne cents. we have q saving of SI,Soo,V
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