104 U. S. BUEEAU OF FISHEKIES 



THE SHRIMP INDUSTRY 

 HANDLING SHRIMP ABOARD VESSELS AND AT THE WHARF 



Unless the shrimp are iced or cooled immediately Avhen caught, 

 they will soften quickly, especially in warm weather. Because there 

 is danger of such softening, shrimp boats or trawlers carry plenty 

 of ice. Shrimp buyers refuse to take stock that is not in good con- 

 dition at the dock. Heavy icing is particularly important when the 

 shrimp are molting because they are soft, easily broken in handling, 

 and more subject to decomposition. 



Care in handling shrimp begins the moment the net is raised. All 

 soft, damaged, or small shrimp are culled out and the slime and 

 dirt removed by thorough washing with water. Culled and cleaned 

 shrimp are stored in the hold of the boat at once with ice. As soon 

 as the boat reaches the dock the shrimp are removed from the hold 

 and sorted a second time. Steel baskets holding about 100 pounds 

 of shrimp each are lowered to the boats by means of a derrick op- 

 erated by power. The shrimp are loaded into the baskets with 

 shovels or dip nets ; the baskets are then hoisted to the wharf, where 

 they are weighed. 



If to be stored for a short time they are placed in an ice box which 

 is about 12 feet square and 7 feet higli, just off the picking room. It 

 is built with double, insulated walls in refrigerator fashion, with a 

 door on the side. Chopped ice to the depth of 4 inches is first 

 spread on the floor, followed by a layer of shrimp about 6 inches 

 deep. Between each layer of shrimp there is a layer of ice 2 inches 

 deep, but on the top layer of shrimp there is another layer of ice 

 4 or 5 inches deep. Every day there is a fresh supply of ice thrown 

 over the top. These ice boxes can be chilled down to about 40° F. 

 In hot weather the shrimp can not be kept in the ice box longer than 

 2 or 3 days without spoiling, but in cold weather they are frequently 

 held for as long as 8 or 10 days, waiting for the accumulation of a 

 sup])ly large enough to justify packing operations. 



For short-time storage some dealers place the shrimp in tubs of 

 water filled with cruslied ice, whereby the temperature is held in the 

 neighborhood of 40° F. 



PREPARATION OF SHRIMP FOR MARKET 



Removal of the head, which is known as " heading " and which is 

 accomplished by breaking the head and thorax from the tail portion, 

 is done either before or after the shrimp are iced, depending upon 

 the amount of the shrimp on hand. If the amount on hand is larger 

 than can be taken care of immediately by the "heading" crew the 

 surplus is iced ; otherwise the heads are removed as soon as the shrimp 

 are landed. Heading is done for most of the iced fresh shrimp that 

 are sent to inland markets or for preparing the pickled " keg stock." 

 It is essential that the shrimp be headed before they have become 

 warm, because the dark liquid in the stomach of the shrimp consists 

 of oily, partially digested plant and animal matter, which readily 

 decomposes. This liquid, as well as the body slime, must be removed 

 immediately after the shrim]) are headed by washing the headed 

 shrimp in iced or fresh water three or four times, dipping from one 



