320 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



Packing Frozen Fish for Shipment 



Frozen round and dressed fish that have been held in storage for some con- 

 siderable time require a degree of reconditioning before they are shipped. The 

 amount of reconditioning will depend upon the storage conditions and the length 

 of time the fish have been stored. Usually it consists of trimming ofiF discolored 

 spots due to "rusting" and desiccation, melting oflF the old glaze and accumulated 



{Courtesy Otto C. Young) 



Fig. 15-3. Frozen halibut and salmon are stacked in refrigerator cars for ship- 

 ment to the distant markets. The ice bunkers of the cars are loaded with a freezing 

 mixture of ice and salt to keep the temperatures below freezing. 



spray, lowering the temperature of the fish and reglazing. The reconditioned 

 fish, except for the larger specimens, are then packed in wooden boxes which 

 are first lined with heavy paper. Apart from the glaze, no ice is used in the pack- 

 ing of frozen fish, for it could serve no useful purpose since the melting point of 

 frozen fish is below that of ice. 



Since the storage hfe of frozen fish depends upon the storage temperature, it 

 is very important that their temperature be kept as low as possible at all times. 

 For this purpose the more modern cold storage plants are equipped with a 

 "shipping room" which is conveniently situated near a railway track or spur and 

 in which the temperature is held well below zero. The reconditioned fish are 

 stored in this room for a sufficient time to depress their temperature well below 

 zero before they are loaded into the car. 



As with express refrigerator cars freight refrigerators in which frozen fish are 

 usually shipped are also precooled before loading. The bunker types of re- 

 frigerators, employing ice and salt, require at least 20 hours for this purpose. This 

 is the responsibility of the shipper; he determines the proportions of salt to be 

 used, not only in the precooling, but in the subsequent reicing also. 



A carload of frozen fish will normally consist of more than one kind and size 

 of fish because a broker will want to satisfy every customer. Most of the fish 

 will be shipped 150 and 200 pounds to a box, a smaller proportion 300 pounds to 

 a box, and only a few 400 pounds to a box. Large specimens of fish, such as 



