THE HALIBUT FISHERIES 127 



Initial Processing. If the halibut are not to be processed immediately, 

 they are re-iced in the fish house by placing a layer of ice on the floor, 

 then the fish, and last a layer of ice over the fish. An improved procedure 

 minimizing the handling of the fish is the use of large galvanized metal 

 boxes suitable for stacking and handling with a fork lift. The halibut 

 are placed in these after grading, then are transferred to the wash area 

 for immediate processing, or are stacked with a topping of ice on each 

 box for holding overnight. 



Halibut are shipped fresh to markets by refrigerated truck or rail car 

 in wood boxes holding 100 to 200 pounds of fish with an equal weight 

 of finely crushed ice. Only the very freshest halibut is shipped in this 

 manner, to assure that good quality fish is received and marketed. 



A major portion of the medium size halibut is frozen in the dressed 

 form within a few hours after landing and grading. Continuous belt 

 washers with top and bottom sprays are used to wash the fish before 

 freezing. The fish are loaded by hand onto the shelves of still air or sharp 

 freezers and frozen overnight at —35 to — 40°F. The frozen fish are dipped 

 into water to provide an ice glaze to protect the fish from drying during 

 storage. Formerly, the frozen halibut were stacked by hand in the large 

 storage rooms; however, in modern practice large, heavy-duty baskets 

 holding about 500 pounds of hahbut each are used. These are convenient 

 for glazing, storing, and transferring the frozen fish with the use of 

 mechanical equipment. 



Frozen halibut are stored at 0°F or colder and may be held, if wrapped 

 or glazed properly, for over a year in good condition. Recognition of the 

 importance of storage temperatures below 0°F for better retention of 

 flavor and texture has brought about the increasing use of — 15 to — 20°F 

 storage for halibut. 



Halibut Fletches. Halibut fletches are boneless and skinless pieces 

 produced from the fresh fish by cutting each side away from the back- 

 bone and trimming free of fins, nape, tail, belly section, and skin with 

 the surface fat. This process divides the halibut into four or more trimmed 

 meaty portions from 5 to 20 pounds, depending upon the size of the fish 

 and the number of lateral cuts after splitting. The fletches are frozen 

 and either glazed or packaged in a moisture vapor-proof wrap for ship- 

 ment to restaurants and institutions, where the fletch is sliced conven- 

 iently into uniform-size serving portions with no trimming waste. The 

 increasing demand for fletches and the ease of their production from large 

 halibut has been a major factor in establishing a strong market and good 

 prices for halibut 60 pounds and over. 



Packaged Consumer Products. Throughout the year the frozen dressed 

 halibut flows from the processor's refrigerated warehouse to the final 



