116 DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT FISHERIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS 



The refrigerated sea water and chilled brine systems may be abused 

 by overloading the system when picking up fish so that the systems are 

 not able to return to proper holding temperatures soon enough to preserve 

 the fish. Overloading of the system during holding periods also makes it 

 impossible to achieve optimum storage temperatures and consequently 

 sub-standard fish will result. Excessive holding times in these systems 

 will result in chemical changes in salmon, such as oxidation of the oil. 



Processing of Salmon 



Canned Salmon. The major portion of the salmon catch is processed 

 by canning. This is especially true of the sockeye, pink, and chum salmon 

 which are landed in such large quantities during the peak of their runs 

 in the various fishing districts that canning is the only practical and 

 rapid method of preservation. 



At the typical salmon cannery the salmon are unloaded from the holds 

 of tenders by elevator to the docks and by conveyor to the fish bins of 

 the canneries. While the fish are being conveyed to the bins they are 

 sorted by species by skilled inspectors. If the fish are to be canned 

 immediately, they are put into bins for direct delivery to the canning 

 line. If they are to be held because of an excess of fish at the plant, they 

 are iced down or placed in chilled brine or refrigerated sea water. 



From the fish bins the salmon are conveyed to the butchering machines 

 or ''iron chinks" which remove the head, fins, and viscera from the sal- 

 mon. Some plants hand-butcher chinook salmon and some other species 

 for recovery of eggs for caviar and bait. 



The salmon are next conveyed to the sliming tables from the ''iron 

 chink." Sliming consists of the removal of fins, bits of viscera, blood, etc., 

 not removed by the "iron chinks." In some plants this work is done by 

 hand or with machines, and in some instances a combination of both 

 is used. During the sliming operation the fish are thoroughly washed and 

 inspected for bruises and other defects. 



From the sliming tables the butchered and cleaned fish are conveyed 

 to a fish cutter where they are cut into can-size lengths for delivery to 

 the filling machines. The newer filling machines include the fish cutter 

 and filler in one machine. The filling machine is a volume filler which 

 fills the can with the salmon and also bottom-salts the individual cans 

 or delivers the cans to a Salter immediately behind the filler. Salmon is 

 usually salted at the level of 1.25 to 1.65 per cent. 



From the filling machine the filled cans pass through a mechanical 

 weighing machine which separates the underweight cans so they may be 

 filled to the proper net contents. Some of the smaller plants check-weigh 

 cans by hand. 



