Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 45 



In some localities ants and other ground insects may 

 tend to attack the curing hides, but this trouble is great 

 only if the hides have not been fleshed and trimmed pro- 

 perly. In any case the trouble can be easily avoided by 

 any of the usual methods, such as standing the legs of 

 the platform in water cups. Sometimes blowflies be- 

 come a nuisance, and it is of importance that the hides 

 should not be heavily fly-blown. It will usually be found 

 that, if the curing is clone a hundred yards or so from 

 where the skinning, fleshing and trimming is done, this 

 source of trouble is greatly reduced or eliminated. In 

 any case it is advisable to have the curing platform well 

 away from the scene of the fleshing, skinning and trim- 

 ming. The platform should be protected from strong 

 sunshine and either protected from rain or provision 

 made for removal of the hides to shelter if rain is likely. 



If during or after curing the hides show a tendency to 

 become pink, or if after curing they develop damp 

 ''weeping" spots, the trouble is probably due to the salt 

 used and salt from a different source should be tried. 

 Once this pink color has appeared, everything, including 

 the fleshing board and curing platform, should be thor- 

 oughly disinfected. 



"Mineral Salt" is preferable to "Sea" salt, if you can 

 get it, and it should not be too coarse. Medium-grade 

 "Fisheries" salt is best. If "Sea" salt (for example 

 Turks Island) or similar salt is to be used, only matured, 

 well-dried salt with no sign of pink color should be used. 

 Clean surplus salt can be used again, but dirty salt must 

 be discarded. 



After 4 or 5 days, the hides are ready for packaging 

 and shipping. 



Packaging and Shipping 



Whatever salt remains on the cured hides should be 

 shaken off and a new supply of clean salt put on the flesh 

 side. The hides are then folded into flat bundles with 

 the flesh side inwards as shown in Figures 10 to 14 to 

 prevent the salt falling out. The flat bundles can now be 

 rolled into round bundles and tied with string. 



The packaging of these bundles will depend upon the 



