CANNING OF FISH AND FISH PRODUCTS 431 



Transportation of the Salmon. The salmon caught in traps are "brailed" out or 

 scooped into scows or cannery tenders. Those caught by hook or by nets are 

 sometimes taken to the cannery in the fishing boats, but more frequently they 

 are transferred to larger boats, known as "tenders," which make regular trips 

 to the places where the fishermen are operating. On arrival at the cannery the fish 

 are either pitched with one-tined forks, called "pews," or sluiced with a stream of 

 water into an elevator which takes them to the cannery floor. The sluicing method 

 is preferable to the use of "pews." 



Grading. Salmon are graded as they are unloaded at the cannery. The grades 

 vary among canneries, but in general they are by species, type of gear, and 

 locality of capture. On the Columbia River the grading of "chinook" or spring 

 salmon includes the amount of oil and freshness and the color of the flesh. 



Canning Process. The industry is carried on to a large extent in the unsettled 

 and almost inaccessible districts of Alaska. Most of the supplies, machinery, food, 

 labor, and, in short, everything but the fish are brought in by boat. To handle 

 large quantities of fish during the short period when the salmon are running is 

 possible dnly by eliminating nearly all handwork and using high-speed automatic 

 machinery and conveyors. Indian, Oriental, or other foreign labor are sufficiently 

 skilled for most of the cannery work, but they are never employed as machinists, 

 engineers, cookers, can makers, and in other positions requiring judgment and 

 special training. 



The ideal cannery location includes: ( 1) A plentiful supply of pure, fresh water. 

 (2) Sufficient level ground on which to erect the necessary buildings in healthful 

 smroundings. (3) Sufiicient depth of water at the dock to permit the landing of 

 boats at all tides. (4) Nearness to the fishing grounds, which will obviate the 

 necessity of long hauls with the consequent danger of spoilage in transit to the 

 cannery. (5) Provision for adequate removal of waste and sewage. 



In general nothing is added in canning salmon except salt; therefore, the strictly 

 manufacturing phases are reduced to a minimum as compared with the canning of 

 other fish, like sardines, tuna, kippered herring, etc. In some canneries oil is ex- 

 tracted from the heads and tail pieces, ordinarily wasted, and added to the 

 canned salmon. This practice is generally only in species, such as the "chum," 

 where the oil content is low. Usually from 4 to 6 ml of the refined head and tail 

 oil are added to each can, the quantity depending upon the size of the can. 

 This enhances appearance and adds to the food value of the canned salmon. 



When canning begins the fish are fed by a conveyor or pewed by hand to a 

 table near the fish-dressing and -cleaning machine, known as the "iron chink"— 

 a complicated machine equipped with a series of knives and brushes which 

 rapidly remove the heads, fins, tails, and entrails of the fish under jets of running 

 water. It can handle as many as 3,600 salmon of various sizes per hour. King 

 salmon are usually dressed and cleaned by hand. The next stage is the "sliming" 

 of the salmon; this consists of removing by machine or by hand any remaining 

 blood, slime, loose membranes, etc. After sliming, the dressed fish are fed into a 

 cutting machine, where rapidly revolving knives cut them into slices of the 

 proper size to fill 1 -pound or /2-pound cans. 



The cans are usually shipped in a collapsed condition from the can factory to 

 the cannery. After the can bodies are made and before the end flanges are 

 rolled on, the cans are collapsed, forming an oval. This is a space-saving practice 



