The locker, kept at a teinporatiire of minus liO degrees F., had a 

 freezing capacity of 6;)0 pounds of shrimp in ei(jht hours. At the end 

 of the freezing period the boxes vore removed from the locker and placed 

 on a wori: table adjoinin^^ the holding room. One man opened each box and 

 turned over the contents. A second man sprayed the frozen shrimp vdth 

 fresh water and replaced them in the same box, thereby glazing the 

 shrimp. The S-po'JJ^d boxes were then placed in 50-pound master cartons 

 and stowed in the holding room. This locker was kept at a temperature of 

 20-25 degrees below zero F. 



The shrimp are usually frozen during the daytime. The entire 

 night catch is ordinarily processed at one time. As handled on the ves- 

 sel studied, the shrimp are preserved on board in such a manner that they 

 can be shipped directly to maricet after they are unloaded. 



On the two vessels equipped with immersion freezers the shrimp 

 after washing were placed in 50-pound freezing baskets, weighed, and 

 lowered into the brine freezer tank. This tank contained sea water in 

 which equal parts of salt and sugar had been mixed. The tank on one ves- 

 sel held 230 gallons of water to which i;ere added 6OO pounds of sugar and 

 600 pounds of salt. The solution was kept at 10 degrees below zero F. 

 \ total of 200 pounds of shrimp could be frozen at one time in this tank. 



The other vessel was equipped with a larger tank that had a 

 freezing capacity of 2'jO pounds of shrimp and was filled mth a brine 

 solution of the same proportions as above. A full load in each tank 

 raised the temperature about eight degrees. The loaded freezing baskets 

 were left in the brine tanlc for periods ranging from ten minutes to one 

 hour. The shrimp had been individually frozen and glazed when reiaoved. 

 Afterwards they were dumped in bulk into 50-pound master cartons and 

 stowed below in the freezer hold which was maintained at a temperature 

 of 20-30 degrees below zero F. 



The virtues of the brine freezer method have been emphasized 

 by technologists of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. Brine freezers, 

 the technologists maintain, are adaptable to small boats, since packaged 

 refrigeration units may easily be designed for small space. Brine-freez- 

 ing of small and irregvil a r- shaped products such as shrimp is efficient 

 and fast. Complete protection against dehydration (freezer burn) during 

 the freezing cycle is provided wliich is not always possible under the 

 air-blast freezing method, 



A study specifically related to the problenE encountered in 

 connection with the brine-freezing of shrimp at sea was made on board the 

 Oregon during March and April 19i?2. As a result of this study the follow- 

 ing procedure for commercial brine -free zing and processing of shrimp was 



recoiTunended: 



Aboard vessel: 



(1) Use only fresh firm vihole or headed shrimp. 



151 



