438 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



Portugal, the pilchard {Clupea pilchardus), and in Norway, the sprat {Clupea 

 sprattus). 



Canning Methods. The canning methods used for sardines in different localities 

 vary considerably, but consist essentially of washing, salting, cooking, drying, 

 packing, and sterilization. 



In France, Spain, and Portugal the fish are dried, fried in oil, and packed; while 

 in Scandinavia a smoking process is commonly used to cook and dry the fish 

 before packing. In the United States the high cost of labor has caused mechanical 

 devices to be more fully developed in packing sardines. A frying process similar 

 to the French method is used for the highest grade of sardines, but most of the 

 Maine sardines and many of the larger sardines packed in California are cooked 

 by live steam and then dried. 



Maine Industry. The Maine sardine industry was started in 1875, and since 

 then that state has been the largest producer of sardines in New England. In 1945 

 sea herring were canned in 15 plants in Maine, while only one plant each was 

 operated in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Alaska. The industry has spread 

 to the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The canning season 

 usually extends from early April until December, and occasionally into January, 

 though this is exceptional. During the latter months of the season larger size 

 fish predominate and are not considered as desirable as the smaller ones. The 

 fish are taken in traps or weirs, which are large circular or heart-shaped en- 

 closures formed by upright stakes and netting into which the fish are diverted 

 by barriers across their course or purse seines used in conjunction with stop nets. 



Cannery-owned vessels transport the fish from the place of capture to the plant. 

 Usually only a sufficient quantity for one day's operations is delivered at a time. 

 The vessel pulls alongside the trap or seine and removes the fish by means of a 

 power-operated dip net. The vessels have a capacity of 80,000 to 100,000 pounds 

 of fish at one loading. As the fish are placed in the hold of the vessel, from 200 

 to 300 pounds of salt are sprinkled over each 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of fish. The 

 salt is a preservative and removes a portion of the water from the fish, causing 

 the flesh to become more firm. Ice is not used for packing as it would bruise the 

 flesh and make it unsuitable for canning. 



Unloading and Grading. When the transport vessel arrives at the cannery, the 

 fish are inspected for quality and size by state authorities. After inspection they 

 are unloaded by means of buckets which convey them from the hold of the vessel 

 to a flume. A strong stream of water in the flume carries them into the cannery, 

 where they are graded for size. Those between 4 and 10 inches in length, having 

 a maximum amount of fat and a minimum of feed, are preferred. 



In some more modern plants the fish are unloaded by means of a large centrif- 

 ugal pump. The hold of the vessel containing the fish to be unloaded is partially 

 flooded with sea water. The intake of the pump is submerged in the hold and the 

 discharge is placed in the flume. The suction of the pump pulls the fish and water 

 through the pump and discharges them into the flume, by which they are floated 

 into the cannery. It is estimated that 100 tons of fish can be unloaded in approxi- 

 mately 30 minutes by this method. 



Flaking. The fish are then spread mechanically on flakes or /4-inch mesh gal- 

 vanized wire trays and steamed from 3 to 15 minutes in a steam box or chamber. 

 The racks of steamed fish are next run into large drying chambers, through 



