208 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



American industry, which had begun in 1875, took 

 advantage of the opportunity to capture some of the 

 trade which the French were unable to supply. The 

 industry grew rapidly until the quantity of sardines 

 packed in the United States exceeded that of any 

 other country. 



Spain, Portugal, and Norway also possess impor- 

 tant sardine-canning industries. Moreover some sar- 

 dines are canned in Canada, Chile, India, Sweden, 

 and Algeria. 



In France, Spain, and Portugal the fish are dried, 

 fried in oil, and packed in cans, which are then 

 sterilized by heat. In Scandinavia a smoking process 

 is generally used to cook and dry the fish before pack- 

 ing. This method produces a sardine of a distinctive 

 and desirable flavor. 



In Maine some sardines are packed in mustard 

 or tomato sauce, and some are fried in oil without 

 steaming ; but most of them are spread on flakes and 

 cooked with live steam for ten to fifteen minutes, 

 and, after drying, they are beheaded and packed in 

 oil in cans, which are sealed and sterilized by heating 

 in autoclaves. 



Most of the sardines packed in California are 

 cleaned, briiied, dried, and then fried in cotton-seed 

 oil. The cooked fish are packed in one-pound cans 

 with tomato sauce; after which the cans are sealed 

 and sterilized. Some small sardines are packed in 

 oil in quarter-pound cans. Since the California in- 

 dustry has developed largely since 1916, the factories 

 are quite modern and are equipped with the latest 

 labor-saving machinery. 



