FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1926 345 
products consisted of 14,600,000 pounds of haddock, 1,400,000 pounds 
of cod, 800,000 pounds of hake, cusk, and pollock, 800,000 pounds of 
flounder and sole, and 200,000 pounds of mackerel. 
The products are merchandised as fillets, steaks, pan-dressed, and 
as sticks, any form of which consists of the edible portion of the fish 
exclusive of all or most of the waste material. Some fillets, steaks, 
or otherwise prepared fresh-fish products are wrapped individually 
in parchment paper; while others are not wrapped, but sheets of 
waxed or parchment paper are inserted between the layers when 
they are packed in containers. 
Frozen fillets are placed on pieces of stiff, waxed cardboard and 
then wrapped in parchment paper. They also are packed in 1-pound 
and 5-pound cartons, lined with parchment paper, and then the carton 
is wrapped in transparent glassine paper. Skinned whiting sticks 
are packed in 1-pound cartons. Frozen products, in 10-pound blocks 
are wrapped in parchment paper and then in heavy brown paper. 
The commonest type of container for the fresh prepared products is 
a circular tin can, about 12% inches in diameter, made in sizes 
capable of holding 10 to 35 pounds of fish. The lids are self-locking 
and are held on by friction. Another popular type of container for 
the fresh-fish products is a flat, rectangular can, about 18 inches 
long and 10 inches wide, the height depending upon the capacity, 
which is usually 20 to 30 pounds. The lid is held on by bending over 
a tab on each of the two long sides, which previously have been 
inserted through slots in the lid. 
There are standard shipping cases for each type of tin container. 
They are made of wood and hold one, two, and three containers with 
sufficient space remaining in each box for the amount of ice necessary 
for refrigeration en route. 
Fish products known as “sticks,” which are crosswise cuts of 
fillets, are prepared by some dealers. They are packed in 5 and 10 
pound containers. The 5-pound package consists of a wooden lard 
tray filled with sticks and covered with a second tray, and then the 
whole is wrapped first in a sheet of waxed paper and then in a sheet 
of parchment paper. The 10-pound package is a wooden box 114% 
inches long, 5 inches wide, and 5 inches high. For shipping out of 
town, these packages are packed in a box in amounts up to 100 pounds 
and then covered with ice for refrigerating en route. Frozen package 
fish usually are packed in insulated, corrugated, strawboard con- 
tainers for car-lot shipments. For less than car lots, this container 
is packed in a second strawboard case. No ice is used for shipping 
frozen fish in these insulated cases, as refrigeration is obtained from 
the coldness of the frozen fish. 
The wrappers, cartons, containers, and shipping cases are printed 
with the trade names of the product and the name and address of the 
producer. ‘Tin containers have lithographed labels. Some dealers 
print recipes for cooking the product on the wrappers or cartons. 
Such labeling of fresh-fish products constitutes an important advance 
in fish merchandising, as it encourages the establishment and mainte- 
nance of standard quality. 
The distribution area for package-fish products, other than fish 
sticks, is largely between the Appalachian Mountains and the Missis- 
sippi River. Fish sticks are distributed largely in Maine. New 
Hampshire, and Vermont. 
