THE PRESERVATION OF FISH 207 



to be filled. The sections of the fish are then coiivcyed 

 to the filling machines, which pack the proper weight 

 of fish in the cans. The filled cans pass on to the 

 sealing machines, which attach the tops loosely. The 

 cans are then exhausted with steam and hermetically 

 sealed by a machine called a double seamer. The 

 canned salmon is then cooked in large autoclaves, 

 with steam under pressure. After cooling, the cans 

 are tested and then labeled in automatic machines. 



Few of us when we eat a sardine sandwich think 

 of the great care required in producing sardines of 

 a high grade. These little fish are very delicate and 

 require careful attention throughout the canning 

 process in order to keep them intact and in good con- 

 dition, and to obtain the desired delicate flavor. 



All sardines are of the herring family. Those 

 caught in California are called pilchards or Cali- 

 fornia sardines. The Maine canners pack young sea 

 herring; in France and Portugal the pilchard is 

 canned, and in Norway the sprat is used. The differ- 

 ences in taste between sardines from various coun- 

 tries depend more upon the methods used in packing 

 than on the species used. 



The American sardine industry, which is cen- 

 tered in northeastern Maine and in southern Cali- 

 fornia, produces nearly half of the world's sardines. 

 Sardines were first canned in France in 1845, and 

 until 1880 France had a virtual monopoly of the 

 industry, but between 1880 and 1887 the French 

 catch was very small. For this reason some of the 

 French packers moved to Spain and Portugal. The 



