After the heading is completed, the baskets of shriir.p are 

 washed \<±t\\ salt T^rater from the flushing pump and hoseo Tl'ie trash is 

 shoveled overboard and the deck is hosed clean. 



Next the shrimp are placed in metal wire baskets of 60- or 80- 

 poimd capacity, mixed xidth a small amount of crushed ice. On many vessels 

 the shrimp are graded during this operation, the larger and smaller shrirap 

 being placed in separate baskets o 



The procedure for stoiri.ng the catch vai^ies little from boat to 

 boat. The baskets are lowered into the hold and dumped in a bin on a 

 layer of ice, and shriirip and ice are thoroughly mixed together. In fill- 

 ing the bin a layer of ice is always placed over a layer of shrimp, the 

 bottom layer of ice is nei;er less thajn six inclies thick if the hold is 

 well insulated. On boats with deficient insulation the bottom layer 

 should be considerably thicker. Once the storing is completed, a thin 

 layer of ice is spread on top, the bin-bojirds are replaced, and the hold 

 cleaned iip and the hatch cover secured. 



On longer trips, especially during the last part of the journey, 

 the bins first loaded are turned and re-iced« Turning is done id-th per- 

 forated shovels xjhich, even if handled carefully, tend to cause some 

 breakage of the shrimp. 



Freezer Vessels 



The handling of the catch on freezer vessels depends on the type 

 of freezer employed. In the discussion of refrigeration installations 

 aboard vessels (Chapter II, p. 95) it was indicated that tliree types of 

 equipment are used in the shrimp industrjr, i.e. plate, blast, and immersion 

 freezers. The analysts of First Research Corporation observed operations 

 on one vessel equipped xjith a blast freezer installation and on two vessels 

 wliich employed the inmiersion method. 



On the blast freezer ship the shrimp vrare handled as follows: 



After the shrimp \-iere landed they vrare vrashed with salt v:ater 

 and dumped by size on a paclcing table on deck. Next the shrimp were 

 packed in ^-pound boxes already labeled for direct marketing. The 

 boxes were placed on a balancing scale, filled, and weighed by one man. 

 The first box from each basket was dmnped and an actual count made» A 

 second man took the boxes off the scale and stowed -bhem in trays holding 

 four boxes. The filled trays were placed on deck next to the hatch 

 leading to the blast freezer and the cold storage hold. After all the 

 boxes were filled, the hatch was opened and one man passed the trays 

 below to another, who loaded them into the quick- fi'eeze locker. 



ll;6 



