102 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



while the remainder goes to foreign countries, where it is purchased 

 in amounts varying from 6 cwt. to 186,933 cwt. It is unnecessary to 

 mention the various countries to which this product is shipped; 

 suffice to say, they are numerous and widely scattered. Incidentally, 

 greater amounts are sent to the United States than any other one 

 country. 



In recent years dried codfish along the Atlantic Coast has become 

 infected in such a way that the surface of the fish acquires a distinctly 

 pink or red colour. This, naturally, detracts from the wholesome 

 and palatable appearance of the fish and causes an unmarketable 

 product, which, obviously, is a loss to the trade. Complete figures 

 for such loss have been unobtainable, though individual dealers 

 estimate their personal deficits from two and a half to forty per cent. 



One of the largest curers of, and dealers in, dried fish in Nova 

 Scotia, handling not less than 100,000 cwts. annually, informed the 

 Department of Marine and Fisheries that in one season they had 

 3,000 cwts. affected with reddening, but this quantity was looked 

 upon as unusual. 



As a rule, the exporter is the individual who stands the reddening 

 loss, owing to the fact that colour does not appear until after storage 

 in warm surroundings or in tropical climate. The fisherman really 

 stands the loss, however, by reduced prices the following year in 

 order to reimburse the exporter. 



The infection, though comparatively new to the Canadian trade, 

 has existed at various times, and in different countries for, at least, 

 the last forty years, during which time investigations as to the nature 

 of the discolouration have been carried on rather from a scientific, 

 than from an economic, standpoint. In the past the fish was marketed 

 usually, during the colder months of the year, so that there was not 

 so large a percentage of spoilage as prevails to-day; and whatever 

 loss dealers did experience from reddening was regarded more or less 

 as incidental and unpreventable. Not so to-day. Progressive civil- 

 ization demands not only increasing attractiveness in food displayed 

 for sale, but also a product procurable at all seasons of the year — 

 preferably out of season. This necessitates infinite care in prepara- 

 tion, requiring additional labour, and adding to the expense of pro- 

 duction; but more than that, fish marketed during the warmer 

 months of the year seems more susceptible to the red infection than 

 that marketed during the colder months. To-day dealers are alarmed 

 at the loss from this source, and anticipate a satisfactory remedy. 

 Consequently, we are confronted with a problem of considerable 

 economic importance. 



