Although the quick freezing of fillets -was an established factor 

 in fish processing in the 1920*8 thanks to the techniques then introduced 

 by Clarence Birdseye and other pioneers in the field, it was not ixntil the 

 latter part of that decade that the shrimp industry began to use this 

 method of processing and preserving. Production of frozen shrimp increased 

 steadily but slowly until the end of World War II. In the postwar years 

 it took a sudden upturn. Today, the freezing industry is the primary out- 

 let for the catch of shrimp. 



Freezing today may take place either directly on board vessels 

 equipped with freezer installations or on shore in specialized freezing 

 establishments. Shore freezers produce the bulk of the shrimp processed 

 in frozen form. 



Shrimp freezing-establishments have equipment which varies 

 from simple, crude, and inexpensive to large, complex and costly. Many 

 handle other perishables for cold storage. Some do a public cold storage 

 business, others are entirely private. The public freezers charge a fixed 

 fee for their services. Some freezing plants are independent, others fit 

 into the frame of integrated operations carried on by primary wholesalers, 

 producer cooperatives, or other processors such as canners or breaders. 



Since fixed expenses tend to make small scale operations un- 

 profitable, there is some indication that more and more shrimp are frozen 

 on a custom basis by plants which freeze and store a variety of fish and 

 other food products or by large processing firms which do their own freez- 

 ing in conjunction with other processing or producing activities. The 

 specialization of custom freezing and cold storage warehousing is encour- 

 aged by financial considerations. If the shrimp are held in public cold 

 storage, it is not difficult to obtain a loan on the frozen inventory 

 against a warehouse receipt. The opportunity to have the product frozen 

 and stored on a custom basis depends on the ready access to adequate 

 freezing facilities. 



The better types of freezers are constructed of steel and con- 

 crete with an envelope of corkboard for insulation. However, many are of 

 frame constmction with sawdust, felt, or other cheaper material for 

 insulating purposes. 



The freezing chambers are usually small rooms, having a capacity 

 from 15,000 to ij-0,000 pounds, though in some plants larger rooms are used. 



The glazing room is usually located conveniently at some point 

 on the route from freezer to storage. VJhen there is no room for this 

 purpose a corridor is often used. Sometimes movable glazing tanks are 

 employed in the storage rooms. More often a glacing tank is built 

 permanently at a convenient place. 



251 



