THE AMERICAN CRAB INDUSTRY 



627 



"C" enamel, seafood formula, and a lining of vegetable parchment paper is inserted 

 as an added protection before filling. Hand packers fill the bottom, top, and sides of the 

 cans with a layer of leg meat, while the center is filled with body meat. About M ounce 

 of salt is added to each can. 



"The trays of filled cans are sealed in a vacuum-closing machine. The sealed cans are 

 packed in salmon coolers and processed. There is some variation in processing, but all 

 packers agree that it must be closely controlled and that 10-pound steam pressures 

 have an adverse effect on the color of the crab meat. Representative processes now 

 in use are: half flats, 90 minutes at 221° F (105° C) (3-pound pressure); and 1-pound 

 flats and No. 2 cans, 80 minutes at 228° F (108.9° C) (5-pound pressure). The cans, 

 upon removal from the retort, are cooled by a water-spray system. When the cans are 

 thoroughly cooled and cleaned, they are labeled and packed in wooden or fiber-board 

 cases, holding 96 half flats, 48 1-pound flats, or 24 No. 2 cans." 



Rock Crab. Canning rock crab has never developed into an industry of economic 

 importance. A considerable quantity was packed during World War II when 

 food of every kind was needed. Since then reports of production indicate that 

 only a few hundred cases have been packed each year. 



Alaska King Crab. Japanese crab-canning operations, in which complete can- 

 neries were installed on 2,000- to 3,000-ton vessels ranging Alaskan waters, were 



Fig. 29-10. A slightly larger than av- 

 erage king crab. 



(.Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



begun in 1932. Each year imtil the end of the 1940 season in July from 1 to 4 

 of these floating canneries operated in this area. 



The United States fishery for king crab during this period was of minor impor- 

 tance; king crabs were only caught incidentally when other species were fished. 



