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MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



fish are packed 100, 150, or 200 pounds to a box, while in less than carload lots 

 boxes containing 75 pounds or less may be used as well. 



In all cases the dressed fish are well "bedded" in finely divided ice, with care 

 being taken to separate the fish from the box by a thick layer of ice. To gain 

 this end the bottom of each packing box is first covered with several shovelfuls of 



(Courtesy U. S. Fisli and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 15-2. Many seafood products are loaded into refrigerator cars for 

 shipment to the market. Oysters are packed in gallon cans, placed in 

 barrels, and then covered with ice and shipped in refrigerator cars. 



fine ice, then layers of fish and ice are added until the box has the required weight 

 of fish. The final or top layer must be ice, of course. 



Different techniques are used for different kinds of fish. For example, halibut 

 are packed on their sides, while salmon are packed on their backs. In each 

 case the "pokes" (visceral cavities) are partly filled with ice, and the fish are 

 arranged so that the melt from the ice will drain away rather than accumulate 

 in the "pokes." Practice has shown that the average shipment requires about half 

 as much space for ice as is taken up by the fish. That is to say, a box of fish, just 

 after packing, will consist of % fish and Ya ice, by volume. If properly packed the 

 major portion of the ice will be between the fish and the box, and mostly at the 

 top, since under ordinary circumstances the warmest conditions outside the box 

 will be at the top. Since fresh fish usually are fairly well chilled before they are 

 packed in the shipping boxes, only a small proportion of the packing ice is re- 

 quired to take up their sensible (specific) heat; therefore, the major portion is 

 placed where it will afford the best protection against external heat sources. 



The carrier (railway company) appears to assume the responsibility of pro- 

 tecting all shipments of fresh fish during the transportation episode. However, in 



