18 FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



The instructions given resulted in the successful salting of 80,000 

 fish, and purchasers of the fish expressed a high appreciation of the 

 quality of the product. Plans were developed for establishing local 

 markets for the fish and for conducting the work on a large com- 

 mercial scale. 



A paper^ by the Bureau's technologist, H. F. Taylor, has been pub- 

 lished by the Bureau for the use of fish salters, and it points out the 

 practical application of the principles developed by work in this field. 

 These include the careful handling of fish before salting; thorough 

 cleaning, especially the removal of all blood; the use of salt of a high 

 degree of purity; antl the application of salt in the dry condition. 



REFRIGERATION OF FISH. 



To supply authoritative technical data bearing on the refrigera- 

 tion of fish, the relative merits of freezing fish in air and in brine 

 and the like, the Bureau has assembled necessary equipment in- 

 cluding electrical measuring apparatus. Lack of funds and the loss 

 of technological workers have prevented the prosecution of this 

 investigation. The demand for the Bureau's data on refrigeration, 



Earticmarly freezing in brine by the various processes, has been 

 eavy and it is believed has been highly appreciated by the trade. 

 Practical application of the principles in the precooling and freezing 

 of fish have been made and give promise of effecting important 

 advances in the distribution of fish of excellent c|uality. The possi- 

 bilities of precooling the catch as taken by the fishing vessels merit 

 serious consideration. A number of demonstrations of brine freezing 

 have. been made by the Bureau during the year. As a result of 

 demonstrations given for the benefit of representatives of the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry, that bureau has made provision for the applica- 

 tion of this method to the freezing of fruits and vegetables and is 

 conducting investigations in its particular field. 



CANNING OF PACIFIC COAST FISHES. 



When the Bureau equipped its small experimental canning labora- 

 tory in southern California, one of the more pressing lines of investiga- 

 tion was the development of satisfactory methods of canning little 

 utilized fishes to render available larger quantities of protein food and 

 conserve meat. As a result much attention was given to the possi- 

 bilities of developing suitable methods for canning such fishes as 

 mackerel, bonito, barracuda, sea bass, and smelts and to improving 

 the packs of pilchard, tuna, and yellowtail. Several hundred packs 

 were put up and held in storage for examination periodically, and in a 

 iew cases methods which appeared unusually promising and for which 

 there was an immediate demand have been released. The results of 

 this work are being prepared for publication. With the lessening of 

 the demand for greatly increasing production and in view of the under- 

 consumption of fish and difficulties of marketing not only new fishes, 

 but staple varieties, in recent months the laboratory has concerned 

 intself with the more important work of developing standard methods 



' Taylor, Harden F.: Improvements in Process of Salting River Herring, Especially Adapted to Warm 

 Climates. Appendix II, Report, U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1921, 7 p., B. F. Doc. 903. Wash- 

 ington, 1921. 



