Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 133, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1912 — Fine Pasturage in Ocean [ARTICLE]

Fine Pasturage in Ocean

Dr. Paul Portier Tells of Vast Grazing Lands Under Water —Food Values of Various Fishes. Paris. —The food resources .of the sea was recently the subject of an Interesting lecture at the Puls Institute Oceanographique. The lecturer, Ur. Paul Portier, stated that In the sea, as on the land, there exist tracts of vegetation which constitute the food of herbivorous animals, such as the seahorse or molluscs. These In their turn are devoured by the carnivora, Buch as sharks, micro-organisms, putrefaction finally reducing both animal and' vegetable organisms to their prime elements. Fish are most abundant on what Is known as the , continental - plateau, which extends to a distance of 60 to 100 kilometers from the coasts and where the sea has a maximum depth of 400 meters. On this plateau algae or seaweeds abound. At greater depths they become rarer, because the light necessary for their existence is absorbed or reflected by the water of theses. Marine mammals, such as the whale or the seal, are only exceptionally utilized as food by man. Porpoises, however, are occasionally sold in the Paris market. The food supplies of the sea are furnished by the fish, property so called, such as soles, turbote, mackerels, skates, herrings, sarJTbe nutritive value of flsh la extremely variable Taking * certain weight of bread to have » food value of 62, the same weight of sole would

have a food value of 17, the skate 23, the salmon 42 and the eel 73. The nutritive value of the salmon and the eel is due particularly to the large percentage of oil, which renders them also less easily digestible. Potted fish SJM- generally more nutritive than fresh fish, because they contain a smaller percentage of water, and fats are often added in the preserving proceed. On comparing the cost of flsh for equal nutritive values, taking bread as the unit of comparison, the following figures are obtained as • against the worth of bread: Herring, 4 francs, 50 cents; mackerel, 6 francs, 35 cents; sardine, 8 francs, 35 cents; eel, 11 francs; salmon, 27 francs; turbot 28 francs; sole, 75 francs, 35; cents. As regard molluscs, mussels* oysters. periwinkles, etc, these, says Dr. Paul Portier, have but a very small nutritive value, and the same holds good of the crustaces.