356 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



temperature of 5° F (- 15° C) is better than 10° F (- 12.2° C), but rust will 

 occur; 0°F (-17.8°C) is still better and - 5° F (-20.6°C) is good. At 

 — 10° F (— 23.3° C) very fat salmon, if kept thoroughly glazed, may be kept 

 for months with little or no signs of rust. Although low temperatvires are more 

 expensive to maintain than high, the diflFerence in cost is made up in the better 

 quality of the stored fish and the diminished losses; at least, numerous freezers 

 find it to their advantage to maintain the temperatures mentioned. 



Dry wooden boxes absorb moisture; they should be thoroughly wet before 

 the fish are packed in them for storage. Frequent defrosting of pipes is said to 

 promote drying out of fish. The fish which are exposed on the outside of each lot, 

 especially in proximity to cold pipes, dry out faster. Freshly whitewashed walls 

 promote desiccation. 



Fat fish are much more susceptible to rusting than lean fish, and particular 

 precautions should be taken in storing them. Salmon, lake trout, mackerel, etc., 

 should be placed in the coldest room. Halibut, whiting, flounder, and other leaner 

 fishes can stand a higher temperature, but very low temperatures do not damage 

 them. 



There is no cure for fish once they are rusted. Sometimes, their appearance is 

 improved by taking them from storage and scrubbing them with a stiff brush, wet 

 with warm water (about 100° F [37.8° C]) in which some ordinary baking soda 

 is dissolved. The brush should be narrow enough to reach into crevices. The 

 fish are rinsed in another tank of warm water without soda, returned to the sharp 

 freezer a few hours, reglazed, and returned to cold storage. However, the fish 

 are never as good as they would have been if rusting had not occurred. 



Fluctuation of temperature promotes desiccation. Rooms, once filled, should be 

 disturbed only for inspection and reglazing; lights should be kept off and the 

 temperature held as low and as constant as possible. 



Fish "in the round" (i.e., as they come from the water, neither gutted nor 

 beheaded) keep better, rust less, and in general are more suited to freezing and 

 storage than dressed fish. This point does not seem to have been investigated 

 sufiBciently, however, and a suspension of judgment may be justified until further 

 research is carried out. 



For successful storage the following points should be observed: 



(1) Fish should be thoroughly covered with a uniform glaze before storage, 

 and glazing should be repeated as often as necessary by dipping or spraying. 



(2) The storage temperature should be — 5° F (— 20.6° C) or lower for fat 

 fish, and is preferable for any fish. Temperatures as high as plus 5° F (— 15° C) 

 are permissible for leaner fish only for a limited time. The temperature cannot 

 be too low. 



(3) The temperature in the cold storage rooms should be held constant, lights 

 cut off, and doors kept closed. 



(4) Unless circumstances make it necessary, fish should not be butchered for 

 freezing, but should be frozen and stored "round." If stored gutted, the glaze 

 should be perfect and the temperature held very low to prevent rust. 



Packing and Shipment 



Fish that were boxed before storage may be shipped as they are and those 

 that have not been boxed must be boxed before shipment. Before being boxed any 



