72 DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT FISHERIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS 



Ashore, the ocean perch may be held overnight in pens, piled 5 to 6 

 feet high. Generally, the fish are not washed before going into the pens 

 to remove the bacteria accumulated on the surface during storage in the 

 vessel, and while liberal quantities of ice may be used to cover the pile 

 of fish, the ice is not mixed into the pile. In such a mass of fish no signifi- 

 cant cooling will occur; instead, the fish may warm up as result of bacterial 

 growth and enzyme activity. 



As in other filleting operations, the brine may be changed as often as 

 every two hours, but large numbers of bacteria will accumulate in the 

 tank during this period. 



In the plants having no freezing facihties of their own, the packaged 

 fish may be exposed to room temperature for several hours before freezing. 

 Considerable quahty loss can occur during this period. 



Flounders and Soles 



In 1959 the United States' catch of flounders and soles amounted to 

 121,566,000 pounds valued at $12,631,000. The catch, comprised princi- 

 pally of 9 species of flatfish, ranked 9th in volume and 8th in value. 

 New Bedford, Massachusetts alone accounted for 28 per cent of the 

 landings, representing 35 per cent of the total value ^ I 



Table 5.2. Species of Flounders and Soles of Major 

 Commercial Importance 



Atlantic Coast 



Yellowtail (Limanda ferruginea) 



Lemon sole and blackback (Pseudopleuronectes americaniis) * 



Fluke (Paralichthys species) 



Dab (Hippoglossoides pla, 



Gray sole (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) 



Pacific Coast 



Dover sole (Microstomus pacificus) 



English sole (JParophrys vetulus) 



Petrale sole (Eopsetta jordani) 



Rex sole (Glyptocephalus zachirus) 



* Lemon sole weigh over 2% pounds, blackbacks weigh less than 2>2 pounds. 



The important species of flatfish are listed in Table 5.2. The 9 species 

 shown are caught and processed in much the same manner on both coasts. 



Handling at Sea. Otter trawling is the principal method used for 

 catching flounder and sole. Only small amounts are taken with pound 

 nets, gill nets, hand lines, and long lines. 



Largely as a result of the higher price paid for flatfish in comparison 



