FISHERY IXDUSTEIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 17 



FROZEN FISH. 



Freezing conserves fish in times of abundance and cheapness for 

 use in times of scarcity. As a rule fish are now frozen under excel- 

 lent conditions, usually within a short time after they are caught. 

 If perfectly fresh when frozen, if properly stored, handled, and pre- 

 pared for the table, they are often superior in quality, texture, and 

 flavor to fresh fish shipped long distances packed in ice. Some of 

 the important species frozen are whiting, halibut, cod, hake, haddock, 

 pollock, ciscoes, salmon, mackerel, sablefish, squeteague, smelts, 

 whitefish, lake trout, butterfish, croakers, shad, and yellow pike. 



As an aid to increasing the consumption of frozen fish and removing 

 certain prejudices, the Bureau has issued a poster and leaflet recom- 

 mending this commodity. The leaflet stresses the importance of 

 keeping frozen fish at a low temperature until used for food and of 

 never thawing and refreezing or subjecting them to rises in tempera- 

 ture or bruising, and emphasizes the necessity of buying them frozen 

 and placing them in an ice box or cool place for thawing before 

 cookmg. For statistics of the holdings of frozen fish by species and 

 by months in 1920, see page 52. 



TECHNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



The small appropriation granted for the fiscal year beginning July 

 1, 1920, has made it impossible to conduct regular investigations in 

 this field, limitinoj the work mainly to a review of literature of 

 methods which will ])e Itclpful in future investigations and to certain 

 minor >ictivities which could be done at little expense. Appreciating 

 the importance of the technological investigations in piogress at the 

 experimental plant at vSan Pedro to the fisheries of the Pacific coast, 

 the California Fish and Game Commission has taken over the labora- 

 tory and is operating it for the current fiscal year. 



SALTING RIVER HERRING. 



The technological investigations of the basic principles governing 

 the salting of fish which have been described in previous reports have 

 revealed tne possibilities of eff'ecting certain refinements and improve- 

 ments in common practice, of salting fish at higher temperatures and 

 therefore in warm climates and of producing a product superior to 

 much of that now marketed. In order to give practical application 

 to the results, arrangements were made to mitiate the salting of fish 

 at points in Florida where previous attempts by usual methods had 

 failed. A practical Salter of long experience was employed, given 

 instructions and opportunity to try out these improvements in the 

 Bureau's Fishery Products Laboratory, and detailed to Welaka, Fla., 

 for instructing local fishermen desirous of giving such methods a 

 trial. 



At Welaka the run of river herring lasts from about January 1 to 

 March 15. During the early part of the season the catch is marketed 

 without difficulty, but later when the fish appear at more northern 

 points the demand diminishes and the price falls to a point at which 

 it is unprofitable to continue fishing. The possibility of salting the 

 fish taken at this period was welcomed by the local fishermen. 

 .")2(1'J5°— 21 2 



