48 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



FORM IN WHICH FISH ARE RECEIVED AND MARKETED 



The form in which the various fishery products are received in 

 Atlanta is shown in Tables 2, 3, and 4. The majorit}^ of the fish 

 are received in the round, exceptions being dressed red snapper, sea 

 trout, snook, sheepshead, catfish, grouper, salmon, halibut, bluefish, 

 and fillets of haddock. Products are marketed by wholesalers in 

 the form in which received. Some retailers make a practice of 

 cutting various fish into fillets and steaks or pan-dressed fish. No 

 fish are wrapped preparatory to retail sale, except fillets of haddo«:k 

 and pan-dressed sea trout. These two fish are gaining in popularity 

 in Atlanta, which may be attributed to their being prepared and 

 wrapped ready for retail sale. It is possible that other varieties, 

 perhaps some that are now of limited importance, would find a 

 more general sale if prepared and packaged. 



CONTAINERS 



It is estimated that over 90 per cent of the fishery products received 

 in Atlanta are shipped in sugar, flour, or apple barrels. In some 

 cases the barrel used was new, but generally it had been used previ- 

 ously in shipping some other product. Round or dressed fish from 

 the North or South Atlantic and the Gulf coast points arrive in 

 barrels containing a net weight of about 200 pounds of fish; while 

 shipments of round or dressed fish from the Great Lakes district 

 and the North Pacific arrive in boxes that contain a net weight of 

 100, 150, 200, or 350 pounds of fish. Boxes originating in the Great 

 Lakes district usually are provided w^ith handles that extend from 

 each end of the box, which facilitates handling en route. Smelt 

 from the North Atlantic are received in boxes holding 10, 15, or 

 25 pounds. Green shrimp are received in barrels with a net weight 

 of about 125 pounds, and spiny lobsters come in barrels with a net 

 weight of about 150 pounds. All shipments of fresh fish in boxes 

 or barrels are refrigerated with crushed ice, except carload shipments 

 of frozen fish in boxes, which obtain refrigeration from the cold in the 

 fish and refrigerants in the car. Boxes containing frozen shipments 

 usually are lined with heavy brown paper for insulation. For addi- 

 tional insulation, the fish in these shipments sometimes are wrapped 

 individually in heavy brown paper. 



Fillets of haddock and dressed sea trout that have been wrapped 

 individually for protection are packed in tin cans holding a net 

 weight of 20 pounds. The tins of haddock fillets arrive in boxes 

 holding 1, 2, or 3 of the tins, while the tins of wrapped dressed 

 sea trout usually are received in boxes and barrels holding a varying 

 number of tins. Shipments of prepared fish are refrigerated with 

 crushed ice. 



Shucked oysters are packed in tin cans holding 1 pint, 1 quart, or 

 1 gallon. These cans are received in barrels holding from 8 to 20 

 of the 1-gallon cans. Scallop meats are packed in tin cans holding 

 5 gallons, cooked shrimp in tin cans holding 5 pounds, and crab 

 meat in tin cans holding 1 and 5 pounds. These tins in turn are 

 received in boxes and barrels of various sizes, which have been 

 refrigerated with crushed ice. 



Live soft crabs are received in the Chesapeake crab trunk, which 

 holds a varying number of crabs, depending upon their size. The 

 crabs are evenly imbedded in moist sea grass, which covers the trays 



