130 U, S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



deal of thick blood lies, by means of a large spoon or some similar 

 form of scraper. A knife should not be employed. Some curers do 

 not remove the fins at this stage, while others do. 



The body is then scored along the sides with a small knife, care 

 being used to cut the skin only: this allows the salt to penetrate more 

 freely and thus assist the process of cure. A specially prepared ec- 

 centric wheel is sometimes used for this purpose, which makes a series 

 of small cuts var3dng from half an inch at the tail to H inches long 

 at the shoulder, and from 2 to 3 inches apart. 



The fish is now read}^ for the splitter, who turns it on its back with 

 the open belly toward him and forces the shoulder down on a sharp- 

 pointed nail, so the fish will not slip during the operation. A cross- 

 cut is first made across the root of the tail to the bone, but no deeper. 

 Then the knife is entered at the vent, immediately above the bone, 

 and a cut, which should go no farther back than the middle of the 

 backbone, is drawn down to the crosscut already made. Then rais- 

 ing the lug with his left hand, the splitter enters the knife at the 

 shoulder above the bone, and with one sweep from head to tail, sepa- 

 rates the entire side. This is the more easily done if the fins have 

 been previously removed. If the work is perfect, there will be no 

 flesh left on the bone, but a line of fat will show down the center of 

 the side. This improves the appearance of the fish and adds to its 

 value. 



In order to remove the bone from the remaining half of the fish, 

 the splitter inserts the knife under the bone, about the vent, and 

 draws down toward the tail, but care must be taken, as before, not 

 to go farther back than the spine. The splitter now takes the fish off 

 the nail, holding it by the lug, his left thumb resting on the upper, or 

 inside of the fish, and his fingers on the lower, or skin side. The tail 

 is now pointing away from the splitter, who enters his knife care- 

 fully under the backbone, and with one dextrous outward sAveep sepa- 

 rates the bone from the fish right down to the root of the tail. When 

 abreast of the crosscut, however, he turns the knife sharply down- 

 ward, and cuts off the fish the same as on the other side. As with 

 the first half, no flesh should be left adhering to the bone, and the 

 line of fat should show down the center. In other words, the two 

 sides should be exactly alike. 



The sides are dipped into cold water in the dress tank, and are then 

 laid, skin side down, on the table with the thin or belly edge toward 

 the front. A man then removes any blood remaining in the veins on 

 the inside of the fish, by pressing it away from him toward the back 

 of the fish, either with his fingers or with a spoon. If the blood is 

 not squeezed out in this way the salt will harden it during the process 

 of curing, and the flesh will become dark in color. The sides are then 

 dipped in a tank of weak brine and crushed ice to give them a final 

 wash, but should on no account be left to soak in the brine. Upon 

 removal, they are again scraped to insure the removal of all the blootl 

 from the veins. 



Great care must be used in handling the newly split sides, as they 

 are very tender and may be easily broken or bruised. In lifting 

 them by the lug or collar bone, the curer should have his fingers to 

 the inside and his thumb to the outer or skin side; otherwise the 

 skin may be broken. 



