The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-06-30
SEA SCAVENCER
FRIEND OF Man
Expert Says Sharks Can Supply
Good Food and Fine
Leather.
FLESH HAS DELICATE FLAVOR
Scientist Gives Some Interesting In
formation About Fish Which Seems
to Have Been Grossly Libeled-
Particular About Food,

New York.-From time immemorial
the shark has been considered as an
enemy to man and scavenger of the
sea. He has been pictured as the
cannibal of the deep, and in fiction
has been painted as the monster who
turks about the Inflated ship in order
| to devour the unfortunates who may
have met their death in a gale or on
the reef. We, therefore, for genera
lions have cherished an antipathy for
this creature Of the sea and have been
very willing to accept as fact all Of
these stories, never stopping to con-
slider that perhaps after all the shark
might have few points in his favor.
To begin with, the shark does not
live exclusively on the flesh of man,
says DR.. Allen Rogers of Pratt insti-
tute, Brooklyn, in the current number
Of the Journal Of Industrial and En-
cheering Chemistry of the American
Chemical society. In fact, there are
only few species who would eat hu-
man flesh, even IL 1t were possible for
them to secure 1t. The principal spe-
cies considered man eater, the tiger
shark probably has seldom had the
pleasure of this delicacy. Sharks, like
all other fish, live on the smaller fish,
thus upholding the proverb that the
big fish eat the little ones.
Sharks Devour Food Fish.
~, To-, oh 1T, ,lx
and are found most abundant where
food fish are plentiful. They are es-
pecially fond of the mullet, menhaden,
mackerel and sea trout Thus 1t will
be seen that they are migratory and
at various seasons are found In differ
ent waters. They are naturally warm
water fish, which accounts for the
large number to be found In the Gulf
of Mexico along the coast Of Florida
and the West Indies. Being rapid and
powerful swimmers, they often follow
ships for hundreds of miles, picking up
food as it is thrown over the side of
the vessel. THUS their diet at such
times is not unlike that of our dOmeS-
tic hog and poultry. It is claimed by
fisher folk that the shark will not eat
unsOund food, which shows him even
more particular than our friend the
pOrker. Why then, If he Is so clean
in his habits Of life, should we dis
eliminate against him?
The bureau of fisheries for several
years has endeavOred to interest the
people in this country In using shark
meat as an edible product, with GER
tain amount of success. In fact, that
species of shark known as the dog fish
Is being canned In large quantities and
sold under the name of gray fish. Ger
tain fisheries on the New England
coast are removing the head, tail and
fins and selling the product in Boston
and New York as deep-sea sword fish.
Italians Eat EN-.
In Boston. also shark meat Is being
sold as such to the Italian trade, who
appreciate its food value and enjoy Its
delicate flavor. Why, then, should we
not take lesson from the Italians and
acquire the shark-eating habit?
For the last five or six years the
writer has been interested in develop
ing method for converting shark
skins into a merchantable leather. AS
a result of this work several processes
have been devised which have been
assigned to company operating fish,
cries in the south.
A conservative estimate indicates
that for catch of 1000 sharks daily,
at an average weight of 200 pounds,
there would be 100000 pounds of fish.
As at least so per cent could be used
for human consumption, we would
have 100000 pounds daily, or 73,OOO,-
GOO pounds annually. Assuming that
the market price could be set at 10
cents. we have saving Of $7,3OO,OOO.