184 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



fish unfit for sale were frozen and stored until there 

 was a greater demand for the product. Naturally 

 when thawed these fish were in no better condition 

 than when frozen. Because of such practices people 

 came to believe that the freezing of fish injured 

 them. In this way cold-storage fish acquired a bad 

 reputation which it will take many years to live 

 down. This prejudice has no foundation in fact. 

 The freezing under proper conditions of freshly 

 caught fish does not injure them in the slightest. 

 Properly frozen fish, when stored under carefully 

 controlled conditions, remain in excellent condition 

 for a year or longer. In fact not one person in a 

 thousand can distinguish between freshly caught 

 fish and frozen fish after both have been cooked. 



Refrigeration and cold storage of fish involve 

 more than the freezing and storage of fish at low 

 temperatures. The fish must be carefully handled 

 before freezing, for bruises cause deterioration dur- 

 ing storage. They must be quickly frozen; usually 

 this is accomplished by placing them in extremely 

 cold rooms, although in some of the more modern 

 processes the fish are frozen by immersion in very 

 cold brine. Brine freezing possesses several advan- 

 tages over air freezing, for the fish freeze much more 

 rapidly, and therefore fewer changes take place in 

 the tissue of the fish. 



Frozen fish must be glazed, or covered with a thin 

 layer of ice, if they are to keep well during storage. 

 Glazing is usually accomplished by dipping the very 

 cold fish into fresh water. The water in immediate 

 contact with the fish- freezes, covering the fish with a 



