66 Commercial Shark Fishing in the Caribbean Area 



1/8-inch wire mesh is often useful here). Pick the .flesh 

 off the bones and pack the flesh and the bones into 

 separate boxes for the press. 



Pressing 



Press the material to get out as much of the liquid as 

 possible. A slow pressure is best and when the final pres- 

 sure is reached, allow it to remain there for 10 minutes 

 to drain. 



Drying 



Spread the pressed material on the upper part of the 

 dryer. While it is drying rake it about and make sure 

 that it does not scorch. The flesh will dry out faster than 

 the bones so it should be removed first by shaking 

 through a 1/2-inch sieve. Leave the bones on the drier 

 till they are crisp and brittle. Total drying should take 

 from 4 to 5 hours. 



Grinding 



Transfer the material to the grinding barrel. A good 

 sized barrel will hold from 15 to 20 pounds of dried ma- 

 terial, and it should not be filled too full. The grinding 

 takes about 10 to 15 minutes but bones may take longer. 



The yield is about 1/6 to 1/8 the weight of the original 

 scrap. 



If the process is done thoroughly, the protein content 

 should be between 50% and 60 %, and the water content 

 should be not more than 8%. The resulting meal is of 

 good quality and equal in value to most of the meal which 

 is on the market. 



Sale, Storage and Shipping 



There should be a ready market throughout the Carib- 

 bean for well-prepared meal. On the Atlantic coast of 

 the United States, fish meal is sold according to the per- 

 centage of protein it contains. The present ceiling price 

 is $1.21 per ton for each percentage of protein. That is, 

 if the protein value is 



50%— Price per ton, 50 x $1.21 equals $60.50 per ton. 



60%— Price per ton, 60 x $1.21 equals $72.60 per ton. 

 Good meal should be worth at least this in your own 



