8 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Fisheries laboratories with the exception of the Charleston labora- 

 tory, which is a State laboratory. In addition, certain phases of our 

 technological investigations were conducted in other laboratories as 

 conditions warranted. For instance, certain cooperative studies were 

 carried out in the laboratories of the various State institutions men- 

 tioned in the preceding section of this report under "Cooperation with 

 the States." Some of our technological studies were carried out in 

 the laboratories of various bureaus in the Department of Agriculture, 

 and a portion of the investigations in the preservation of fishing gear 

 which were prosecuted in the Navy Rope Factory, Boston Navy Yard, 

 under the control of the Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy 

 Department. 



In Washington, D.C., the technological facilities of the Division 

 include a nutrition laboratory, a well-equipped chemical laboratory, 

 and a mechanical laboratory with carpenter and machine shops. 

 Those problems which concern or affect the country as a whole are 

 usually selected for study in the Washington laboratories. As an 

 example, a large part of the nutrition experiments are conducted in 

 Washington. 



The Gloucester laboratory is intended primarily to serve as the 

 headquarters for the conduct of technological investigations of the 

 fisheries of the Atlantic coast, and is so equipped as far as possible 

 under present conditions. The Gloucester organization includes a 

 well equipped chemical laboratory, a bacteriological laboratory, a low 

 temperature laboratory designed primarily for the study of fresh and 

 frozen fish, and a small byproducts laboratory. 



The Seattle organization includes a well-equipped chemical labora- 

 tory and a byproducts laboratory, with the use of some of the labora- 

 tories of the University of Washington. 



The Charleston laboratory, as stated above, is a State laboratory, 

 although the Division has personnel stationed in this laboratory and 

 contributes to its upkeep. A financial arrangement has been worked 

 out whereby investigations in the State laboratory can be performed 

 at less expense to both the Federal Government and the State of 

 South Carolina than either could conduct alone. The Charleston 

 laboratory is equipped for both chemical and nutrition research. 



PRESERVATION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS FOR FOOD 



Our experimental work in fish preservation has utilized the services 

 of chemists, engineers, and bacteriologists. Investigations in this 

 section were carried out under the immediate direction of James M. 

 Lemon, associate technologist, in charge of the Gloucester Technologi- 

 cal Laboratory and by Norman D. Jarvis, assistant technologist, in 

 the Washington Technological Laboratory. 



IMPROVED METHODS FOR HANDLING FRESH AND FROZEN FISH 



During the course of the investigations being conducted at the 

 Bureau's technological laboratory at Gloucester, Mass., it became 

 evident that it would be necessary to devise an accurate method for 

 the determination of the relative decomposition of fish flesh. After 

 several dift'erent methods were investigated, it was found that a com- 

 bination of two of the methods gave a very satisfactory indication of 

 both the enzyme and bacterial action in the flesh, both of which 



