718 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



years has been due almost entirely to the larger pack of frozen package 

 fish products consisting mainl}^ of haddock fillets, the production of 

 which in 1929 amounted to 21,800,000 pounds valued at about 

 S4,000,000. 



In order to learn conditions surroimding the frozen-fish trade in 

 the United States and Alaska, a survey was made during 1929 by the 

 writer through questionnaires and by personal contact with the firms 

 known to be publicly or privately engaged in it. It is believed that in 

 this manner about 98 per cent of the trade wa? canvassed. 



FREEZING FACILITIES 



According to the data collected in 1929, there were 122 plants in the 

 United States and Alaska which made a practice of freezing fishery 

 products. Of this number 65 are located along the seacoast, 38 along 

 our lake shores, and 19 at points in the interior of the country. Of 

 those along the water front, 77 are located so that fishing boats and 

 vessels can be unloaded directly at the pier of the freezing plant. The 

 location of these is shown in Figure 1 . Some of the plants use "rapid " 

 freezing methods to perform the operation, although a majority use 

 the "slow" or "sharp" freezing methods. Most of the plants are 

 publicly operated, but there appears to be a distinct trend toward the 

 privately owned plant. These latter are owned chiefly by firms 

 packing frozen-package fish products. The freezing plants are most 

 numerous in the northern latitudes, few being located in our southern 

 sections. 



These plants are capable of freezing about 3,617,000 pounds of fish 

 per working day, or roughly, about 1,000,000,000 pounds per year of 

 300 working days. At this rate it might be assumed that present 

 facilities are sufficient to freeze all of the fish marketed in a condition 

 other than that canned or cured, for, annually, about 1,000,000,000 

 pounds of fishery products are marketed in the fresh and frozen con- 

 dition. However, this is far from true, for, like any plant preserving 

 a seasonal article, it must be equipped to handle the peak loads, as 

 generally there is not a steady flow of fish through the plants. A plant 

 interested primarily in freezing a seasonal article, such as fish, finds 

 it necessary to provide machinery to care for the peak load. At other 

 seasons of the year it may be more or less idle, as is the case with that 

 in a plant canning a seasonal product. For this reason it may be 

 necessaiy, for several years to come, to erect freezing plants especially 

 near points of production. 



It is especially desirable that fish-freezing plants be located near 

 centers of production for the following reasons: First, the fish can be 

 unloaded from the fishing vessels directly to the freezing rooms. 

 Second, the fish need not be barreled, boxed, or iced for transportation 

 to the freezer. Third, there is a saving in transportation charges, for, 

 when ready for distribution, the frozen fish can be forwarded by 

 freight in carload lots to distribution centers, rather than by express 

 in less than carload lots. Fourth, overhead expenses generally are 

 less in a freezer located at the fishing port. And fifth, the quality of 

 the fish before freezing is known. 



In the New England section facilities are available to freeze 

 1,034,000 pounds of fish per working day. In the Middle Atlantic 

 section 777,000 pounds can be frozen; in the Pacific section and Alaska, 



