542 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



teiiiptation to freeze the fish after decomposition has set in, but, 

 fortunately, this is now very rarely practiced in the salmon industry. 



The coho, or silver, and the chum, or keta, salmon are the choicest 

 of the salmons for freezing. The other species, except the red, or 

 sockeye, which is too oily and rarely frozen, are also frozen in vary- 

 ing quantities. The steelhead trout, which is ranked by the Pacific 

 coast dealers among the salmon, is considered the choicest fish of 

 all for freezing. 



Some of the most modern plants in the country are on this coast. 

 These have numerous freezers, generally, in which a temperature of 

 from 25° to 30° F. below zero can be maintained if desired, although 

 a temperature of more than 10° below zero is rarely ever required. 

 All freezing is by direct expansion and each freezer is piped with 

 about 2 feet of l^-inch pipe per cubic foot of freezing space. The 

 bunkers in the freezers are in pairs, generally nine pipes wide, spaced 

 10 inches apart. This leaves about a 3K-foot passage through the 

 center of each freezer opposite the swing doors. The salmon are laid 

 on metal sheets, which are placed on the tiers of pipes. 



After freezing the salmon are passed through openings in the rear 

 of the freezers into the glazing room, which has a temperature of 

 about 20° F., where they are dipped into water, and when removed 

 are covered with a thin glaze of ice, which may be thickened by 

 repeated dippings. This is an extra precaution to exclude the air 

 from the fish. 



After being thoroughly frozen and glazed, each fish is covered first 

 with a parchment, like rolls of butter, and then with a piece of heavy 

 brown paper. They are then packed in boxes holding about 250 

 pounds each, placed in cold-storage cars and shipped. 



UTILIZING SALMON EGGS AND MILT 



Every year immense quantities of salmon eggs are thrown away in 

 the fisheries of the west coast, though there is but Uttle doubt that, 

 if properly prepared, a market could in time be found for this now 

 waste part of the fish. In France there is a good market for a prod- 

 uct known as "rogue," which is the spawn of cod, haddock, hake, 

 and pollock, salted in casks, and which is used as bait in the sardine 

 fisheries. Salmon spawn is the choicest and most successful bait 

 used on this coast, and if properly prepared would undoubtedly 

 answer the purpose as well as the regular "rogue" if not better, 

 owing to its oiliness and attractive color. The roes should be soaked 

 for some days in old brine and then packed in strong casks holding 

 about 25 gallons each. It might also prove to be a good bait for 

 tolling mackerel on the Atlantic coast. 



Iti 1910 a considerable quantity of salmon roe was i)repared in 

 Siberia and sold in competition with caviar, which is prepared from 

 sturgeon eggs. The product met with favor in Europe and now large 

 quantities are prepared each season. 



In this country Miss Ida Tuholski, of San Francisco, who had been 

 engaged in the preparation of sturgeon caviar for some years, put up 

 a number of sample lots of salmon caviar which are fully the equal 

 of the best sturgeon caviar. Capital has been chary, however, about 

 engaging in the business, although undoubtedly it will be an impor- 

 tant industry some day. During the last five years several firms, 

 notably the Neptune Fish Products Co., of Seattle, have successfully 

 taken up the business of caviar making. 



