438 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



In the bunk house is hung a board ruled so as to show the name of 

 each fisherman and the amount of his catch from day to day. As 

 soon as all the boats are in the agent notes on this board the catch of 

 each man for that da}', which gives each man an opportunity to know 

 just how he stands and to have any necessary corrections made. 



Dinner is at 12 o'clock, and shortly after the fishermen gather at 

 the dress house and, dividing themselves into as many dress gangs 

 as their numbers will permit, begin the work of dressing. No special 

 dress gangs are employed at the stations, as the dressing is considered 

 to be a part of the fisherman's regular work. 



That portion of the dress gang in the dress house generally is 

 composed of a " throater," " header," " splitter," a " black skinner," 

 a man to go over the fish and remove adhering backbones, clots of 



Fig. 12. — Landing the day's catch at the shore station 



blood, portions of black skin, etc., left by those who previously had 

 handled it, and a man to pew the fish into the throater's box. The 

 duties of these men are about the same as on the vessels. Each dress 

 gang is equipped with a box set up on legs and with a sloping grid- 

 iron bottom, so that water, slime, etc., may pass out through the 

 bottom. In this box the fish are placed with their heads toward the 

 throater. Alongside and attached to the box is a table. The header 

 stands at the end of the table next to the box, on the opposite side 

 from the throater and splitter, and has in front of him a piece of iron 

 fastened to the edge of the table, over which he breaks the backbone 

 of the fish as they are passed to him. At the other end of the 

 opposite side of the table stands the splitter. In the top of the 

 table in front of him has been inserted a piece of wood about 15 

 inches lonff and about 10 inches wide. Into this has been driven a 



