BIOLOGISTS' WORK FOR THE INDUSTRY 225 



of thèse organisins that are involved. His chemical investigation 

 of the action of thèse important species upon fresh lobster méat 

 has advanced sufficiently to indicate the probable cause of dis- 

 coloration in ('ann(^d lobster, the explanation appearing to be 

 that certain of thèse bacteria start to décompose the lobster 

 méat before they are killed in the canning process, and as a re- 

 suit of this slight décomposition thei-e later comes the blackening. 

 This emphasizes the fact that for lobster as well as for fish 

 proper, preserving m(;thods need to be carried through with 

 the greatest speed, particularly in warm weather, in order to 

 ensure a good product. 



Salting of Fish 



Sait is cxtensively used in the curing and préservation of 

 fish, its chief action licing to prevent the growth of the bacteria 

 that rot th(> fish. Salts differ and bacteria differ, and the best 

 procédure in al! cases is not yet known. Mr. J. M. Luck, of 

 Toronto, has entcred upon a study of the effect of varions salts 

 on the growth and action of the bacteria that décompose fish. 

 This study, which will take several years, will be pursued by 

 Mr. Luck under a travelling fc^llowship which he recently ob- 

 tained, and will to a considérable extent supplément the inves- 

 tigation (already made public) of Dr. Harrison on the causes 

 of, and the means of preventing, the red discoloration of dried 

 fish. 



Increasing the Smelt Fishery 



Why does the smelt furnish the most valuable fishery of ail 

 in the Miramichi estuary, and occur in practically negligible 

 quantities in such a bay as Passamaquoddy ? Could not they 

 be made abundant in the latter ? We hâve found one condi- 

 tion that e xplains in part the small numbers in the latter région, 

 namelj^ the failure of the smelt's eggs to develop as spawned in 

 the Magaguadavic riv(T bclbw St. George. The salvaging of 

 thèse eggs is the next problem. Mr. Neil MacLeod, Jr., of 



