FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1939 Zs 
handling of fresh oysters was prepared and presented to the oyster 
packers at the 1940 annual meeting of the Association of Oyster 
Growers and Dealers of North America. This code is similar to that 
for the packing of fresh crab meat which appears on pages 213 to 216 
of this report. 
Toward the end of the year, the equipment at Norfolk was trans- 
ferred to the College Park (Md.) Laboratory. Here the following 
phases of this problem are being considered and will be reported later: 
(1) Incidence of the pink yeast in fresh, commercially shucked oysters; 
(2) effect of various chemicals as germicides specific for the pink or- 
ganism; (3) continuation of the studies on changes in hvdrogen-ion 
concentration (pH) as oysters age, as a possible test for judging qual- 
ity; (4) effect of washing and blowing on the mineral content of oys- 
ters; and (5) studies on containers for packaging oysters. 
HANDLING OF FRESH FISH ABOARD FISHING VESSELS AND AT PACKING 
PLANTS 
In recent years difficulties have been experienced in maintaining the 
quality of fish caught by the large otter trawlers operating from New 
England ports and handled on the Boston Fish Pier. From. time to 
time, these difficulties have resulted in considerable financial loss to 
wholesale dealers. As a result, the Massachusetts Fisheries Associa- 
tion, Boston, Mass., and the Fishery Advisory Committee of the De- 
partment of the Interior requested the Bureau of Fisheries to conduct 
studies of this problem in order to recommend changes or improve- 
ments in existing methods which would result in the marketing of a 
product of higher quality. This problem was studied during the sum- 
mer and fall of 1939. 
Investigators accompanied the otter trawlers to observe the actual 
commercial methods for the capture of the fish and for handling them 
aboard the trawler. Information was obtained especially on the 
temperatures of the waters wherein the fish were caught; temperatures 
of the fresh-caught fish, and of the fish as stored in the hold; effect of 
the pressure on the various layers of fish as packed in the storage pens; 
effect of sanitary measures in retarding deterioration of the stored fish; 
and the applicability of the electrometric test for judging the quality 
of the stored fish. Studies also were made of the practices used in un- 
loading the catch at the Boston Fish Pier and of the handling of the fish 
in the packing plants. 
Methods for eliminating the use of pitchforks aboard vessels have 
been suggested by the investigators. These also include suggestions 
made by previous investigators and cover the use of wire-bladed 
(potato) shovels for moving fish from one place to another on the ves- 
sel, a basket arrangement in the washing boxes on deck which can be 
raised and tipped to slide the fish from the boxes, and a chute leading 
from the washing boxes for lowering the fish to the pens in the hold. 
Methods suggested for eliminating the use of pitchforks in the un- 
loading process include: (1) Substituting wooden rakes for pitchforks 
in removing the fish from the pens to the unloading baskets; (2) dis- 
charging the fish from the baskets to a weighing box fitted with a trap- 
door at one end; (3) placing the weighing box on a raised platform on 
the pier; and (4) removing the fish from the weighing box to ,a cart 
by tipping the box at such an angle that the fish slide through the trap- 
door into the cart. 
