84 FISHING INDUSTRY OF PLYMOUTH. 



Pickling of Pilchards. — The new process of pickling the 

 fish is carrried on here. Pickled fish, although perhaps not 

 so much liked as salted fish, keep very much longer and are 

 more profitable property. Salted pilchards must be disposed 

 of soon after curing, while pickled fish can be stocked. Fish 

 will keep in brine seven or eight months without deteri- 

 orating. 



The pickling process is as follows : — The fish are thrown 

 into vats and covered with brine ; if judiciously renewed 

 the brine will pi'eserve the fish until required, when they are 

 packed in barrels and shipped. Considerable pressure, by 

 means of screws, is applied during packing, and the bottoms 

 of the barrels being perforated, the oil contained in the fish 

 is pressed out and escapes into vessels placed below to 

 receive it. Fish so treated are called in the trade pickled 

 or marinated pilchards. 



Salting Pilchards. — Pilchards are salted in the following 

 manner : — They are placed in layers, a layer of fish and a 

 layer of salt, until the heap rises three to five feet high ; 

 they are left thus " in bulk " as it is called, for, say, thirty 

 days, during which the brine and oil drain from them into 

 pits ; they are then sifted free of the remaining dry salt, 

 washed, and packed in casks under pressure (No. 10). Such 

 fish are known as " fumados " or " fair-maids.'^ 



Export Trade in Pilchards. — About 5000 hogsheads of pil- 

 chards are exported from Plymouth per annum. There are 

 about 3800 fish in a hogshead, and therefore about 19,000,000 

 fish are cured here, — a very small quantity in comparison to 

 the number passing through the Coi'nish curing establishments 

 (No. 6). 



Pilchard Oil. — The pilchard oil is used by rope and varnish 

 makers and for preparing leather and mixing with paint. 



6. Fish-sTiin Curing. 



Two small fish-skin curing establishments are in existence 

 here, one of these being on an exceedingly small scale. 



Skate and Ray Skin. — The skin of skate and ray is cleaned 

 by a chemical process and dried ; in this condition it is sent 

 away to merchants in other parts of the kingdom. 



