380 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



depending on the size and fatness of the fish. A total of 80 to 100 pounds of salt 

 are used per tierce. 



Heading and Storage. At this stage some packers prefer to let the tierce stand 

 for 24 hours, by which time the contents will have settled so that a few more sides 

 can be added. The tierce is then headed and filled with 100° Sal. brine; however, 

 the usual practice is to head and brine immediately after packing. The brine used 

 should be made from pure water with salt of the same high purity as that used 

 for packing. This brine is often strained through cheesecloth in order to separate 

 foreign material. After heading and filling the tierces are rolled into a cool room. 

 Here they are held at a temperature of 35 to 40° F (1.7 to 4.4° C) for curing and 

 until time for repacking. Storage temperatures should be held uniform as fluctua- 

 tions tend to cause loss of oil from the fish. It is also important to keep the tierces 

 full of pickle at all times during curing and storage. There may be loss of brine 

 due to leakage and to absorption of the brine by the dry wood of the staves. If 

 the tierces are not kept filled, there may be shifting of the sides in handhng the 

 barrels, which may result in some of the sides becoming broken. Loss of brine will 

 leave some of the fish exposed to the air. The "rust" spots that develop at these 

 points will also lower the quality. 



There is considerable shrinkage or loss of weight during the first 10 days of 

 curing, the amount depending on the fatness of the fish. Exti'a fat fish may lose as 

 little as 10 per cent, while lean ones may shrink up to 35 per cent. However, after 

 this original loss the sides begin to absorb brine and take on weight so that after 

 several months' storage most of the fish will have returned to their original weight. 



Repacking. Because of this early loss of weight it is advisable not to repack too 

 soon after packing; hence, 20 days is usually considered the minimum for curing. 

 When ready for repacking a number of tierces are rolled into the repack room, 

 and the heads of the tierces are removed. The sides are then taken out one by one 

 and carefully selected as to grade, after which the fish are placed in the proper 

 grading bin. Grading is done according to size, color, and quality. The size is 

 designated by the number of sides per tierce (viz., 50-60, 60-80, 80-100, and 

 100-120). Three colors, red, pale, and white, are usually recognized, but grada- 

 tions between these are sometimes used. Quality is generally based on the fatness 

 of the fish; they are marked prime, thin (T), and double thin (T.T.). Repackers 

 must also sort out the broken sides, which are marked B; the badly broken sides 

 are labeled B.B.; 825 pounds of one grade only are repacked in each tierce. The 

 sides are laid exactly as in the original packing, but no salt is added. After heading 

 the tierces are filled with 100° Sal. brine. After stenciling the number of sides and 

 the color and quality on the head, the tierces are returned to the cool room to 

 await shipment. Repacked tierces must be inspected from time to time for loss 

 of brine and must also be refilled when necessary. It is advisable to make all ship- 

 ments under refrigeration. 



Mild-cured salmon may be smoked any time after repacking or may be held 

 in storage for extended periods; however, sides held over a year are more difficult 

 to freshen and never take on as nice an appearance during smoking as newer 

 stock. 



Hard-Salted Salmon. The first commercial utilization of Pacific salmon was by 

 means of hard-salting in barrels. In the early years this was a sizable industry 

 and after several years the pack was over 10,000,000 pounds. Recently the amount 



