CRAB AND LOBSTER FISHERIES 205 



storage temperature to minimize color and flavor changes. Packs are 

 marketed preferably within one or two years for best quality. 



Frozen King Crab. King crab meat is much more suitable for freezing 

 and storage than other species of crab, and experimental and commercial 

 packs have been stored for one year at 0°F with good acceptability. 

 Important factors in attaining good keeping quality of the frozen meat 

 are : high quality of the initial meat, careful packaging to avoid air spaces 

 within the package, use of a good moisture vapor-proof packaging mate- 

 rial, and storage at a uniform temperature of 0°F or lowers Experimental 

 samples stored at — 20°F, in comparison with samples at 0°F, demon- 

 strated improved flavor retention, whereas samples stored for a few 

 months at 10°F showed development of straw-like off-flavors and loss of 

 the normal delicate flavor. 



Preparation of the meat for freezing is similar to canning. Following 

 the cook, the meat is preferably chilled before squeezing or blowing the 

 meat from the shell. The prompt chilling of the meat is important in 

 minimizing breakage of the meats. King crab meat is usually frozen as 

 a large block. One common size block incorporates 250 ounces of crab 

 meat and 24 ounces of fresh water to fill the voids. The blocks are inspected 

 and packaged in a suitable film and waxboard carton. After freezing, the 

 block is glazed and shipped for later sawing into consumer-size blocks. 

 Restaurant and institutional needs are easily met by the subdivision of 

 the large blocks into 1 or 2}^ pound units. The development of this 

 flexible and efficient frozen block of king crab meat has been a key factor 

 in the expansion of the frozen king crab industry. 



To provide frozen king crab in the shell, the cooked, butchered sec- 

 tions are chilled, thoroughly washed and scrubbed, trimmed, and segre- 

 gated into uniform ten-pound lots. After freezing and glazing, the large 

 cartons are ready for shipment to restaurants or may be used for retail 

 sale in random weight subdivisions. Graded leg sections are further 

 trimmed and split in half longitudinally to provide consumer and institu- 

 tional packs of split frozen king crab legs ready for broiling. 



The Lobster Fisheries 



The lobster fisheries include the true or northern lobster {Homarus 

 americanus) of the New England Coast and the spiny or rock lobster 

 Panulirus argus of the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast and P. interruptus 

 of the Pacific Coast). Several characteristics of the lobster fisheries are: 

 use of pots (traps) for harvesting, high value of the catch per pound, 

 primary market form as fresh or frozen in the shell, and importance of 

 imports for supplying the domestic market. In 1960 the 31 million pound 

 catch of northern lobsters was valued at over 14 million dollars and was 



