388 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



women using a small sharp knife. The gutted fish are washed thoroughly in large 

 tanks of running water to remove the blood, slime, and loose scales. After draining 

 to remove the excess water the fish are dumped into salting vats, which have been 

 previously filled about one-sixth full with 100° Sal. brine. As the fish are being 

 dumped into the vats, a quantity of salt is spread over them. The time of cure 

 is only from 12 to 48 hours, depending upon the temperature and the distance 

 which the corned fish are to be shipped. After brining the fish are taken from 

 the vats, spread on the floor, and mixed thoroughly with salt, after which they 

 are packed in barrels without brine and immediately shipped to the trade. Corned 

 fish can be safely handled only when the temperature is below 60° F (15.6° C). 



Round Cure. In 1945 about 900,000 pounds of alewives were salted round 

 or in ungutted condition. After a preliminary washing the fish are heavily salted 

 in large vats or directly in barrels. In the latter they are tightly packed in tiers, 

 with a covering of salt over each tier. No brine is added, but a sufficient amount 

 forms from the water extracted from the fish by the salt. When ready for marketing 

 the salted alewives are repacked in barrels, headed, and filled with brine. 



Tight Pack or Hard Cure. The balance of the salted alewife pack is cured by 

 this method. The first part of the process is exactly the same as for preparing 

 "corned" alewives, the fish being gutted, washed, drained, and salted into large 

 vats. However the curing time is much longer, taking from 7 to 9 days. During 

 this period the fish are stirred daily with large paddles in the curing vats and if 

 necessary some extra salt is added to maintain the strength of the pickle. After 

 the fish are cured, they are taken from the vats and piled on a draining floor and 

 allowed to drain thoroughly and until partially dry. After 4 to 10 days the fish are 

 weighed or counted and packed in barrels; the first layer is laid backs down and 

 the remainder backs up. About 2 to 2/2 pounds of salt are spread over each layer 

 and the fish are tamped lightly to obtain a tight pack. A barrel of "tight-packed" 

 river herring should contain 160 pounds of fish and 40 pounds of salt. 



If these salted alewives are to be stored for a considerable length of time, they 

 must be placed in cool or cold storage. The bulk of the pack is shipped immedi- 

 ately to Norfolk or Richmond and held in storage until needed. Even in cold 

 storage, the fish slowly rust and cannot be kept in good condition for more than 

 a year. 



The Salting of Mackerel 



With the steadily increasing demand for fresh and frozen mackerel in the 

 United States the production of salted mackerel has shown a gradual decline over 

 the years. The American production in 1945 was only 3,573,448 pounds, as com- 

 pared with 9,045,469 pounds in 1909. However, salted mackerel is still one of the 

 favorite salted fish items in the United States, but the markets are being supplied 

 by imports from Europe, especially from the Scandinavian countries. In 1945 the 

 imports of salted mackerel amounted to 6,169,189 pounds, valued at $846,258. 



Although a considerable part of the production is made aboard the fishing 

 vessels in the North Sea, much is now being packed at shore stations located 

 at strategic points along the Norwegian Coast. These coastal mackerel are caught 

 with seines and gill nets and are delivered to the salteries within a few hours. 

 The Norwegian Government has made special efiForts to cater to the American 

 market and from time to time has sent travelling instructors to the various districts 



