372 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



bone is cut out as the bones are much larger. A somewhat greater quantity of salt 

 is used with large fish than is used with smaller cod. As the finished product is 

 much darker than cod, especially in the case of salted pollock, it usually brings 

 a somewhat lower price. For many purposes these fish are equal if not superior 

 to salted cod. When cooked it is very difficult to tell them apart by the taste. These 

 fish are often sold as "salted fish," the particular species not being indicated on the 

 label. 



Pacific Coast Industry 



Statistics. The number of cod salted on the Pacific Coast of the United States 

 increased year by year, from 7,100 in 1863 to a peak of 3,920,802 in 1914. Since 

 that date the catch has steadily declined. In 1947, the latest year in which sta- 

 tistics are available, tlie number caught was 240,424. The following table gives the 

 poundage and value of salted-cod products for the year 1947, as shown by statistics 

 of the Alaska Fisheries, 1947, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



While the methods in common use on the Pacific Coast resemble in the main 

 those of the Atlantic Coast, there is one important difference: Practically all the 

 cod are cleaned and salted either on ship or at shore salting stations; they are later 

 transported to the home station where the salting process is completed and the 

 fish are dried. The vessel-caught cod are not iced, as are those caught along the 

 Atlantic Coast, but are salted in kenches in the hold of the ship. Those caught 

 by the fishermen near the shore stations are lightly salted in tanks at the station, 

 but are later carried to the home station for bleaching and drying. 



The Vessel Fishery. The fish caught from large vessels along the Pacific Coast 

 are cleaned and salted by a special "dress gang" which does little else than handle 

 the fish. This gang consists of a "throater," "header," "splitter," "black skinner," 

 and "idlers." The "throater" grasps the fish by the head with the left hand and 

 by means of a short knife makes a cut on each side of the throat just behind the 

 gills and another slit down the belly to the vent. The fish is passed to the "header" 

 who breaks off the head at the first vertebra and tears out the viscera. The 

 "splitter" continues the split down the belly to near the end of the tail and removes 

 about three-fifths of the backbone, care being taken not to run the knife deeper 

 into the fish than absolutely necessary. The "black skinner" then rubs off the 

 membrane covering the napes and any spots of blood and drops the fish into a 

 tub of salt water where they are washed by the "idlers." 



The cleaned fish are passed through a chute into the hold where they are 

 salted in kenches. The cod are laid on their backs with napes and tails alternating, 

 with the exception of the top layer which is turned flesh side down. Salt is 



