136 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
From the coloring tank, the pieces are placed on a tray with wood 
frame and bottom of one-half inch square meshed wire; care is taken 
that the pieces do not touch each other. 
The tray is then slipped into a rack which will hold a number of 
these, placed one above the other, and this rack is then run on a 
track into the smokehouse. 
A medium fire is then kindled which dries and slightly smokes 
the pieces from 16 to 18 hours. 
When they reach a proper stage the fire is enlarged, but great care 
must be exercised in order to prevent their being overheated, and 
this is done by means of the damper at the bottom of the smoke- 
house and the ventilator at the top. The fish are baked in this 
manner from 25 to 35 minutes, the thermometer showing from 250 
to 275° of heat. 
When the cooking is completed the cars are pulled out and the 
fish allowed to cool, after alltel each piece is wrapped in a square 
of eet paper and packed in a box or basket which holds 10 
ounds. 
‘ The product is quite perishable, and if it can not be used at once, 
when of course it is at its best, must be placed in cold storage. The 
packer endeavors to turn out daily only the amount he can market 
that day. 
Beleke.—A smoked product, known locally as ‘‘beleke,’’ is put up 
at Kodiak, Alaska, from red and coho salmons. Steelhead trout are 
the best for this purpose, but are not often utilized owing to their 
scarcity in this region. In preparing “‘beleke”’ only the backs of the 
fish are used, the belly part being cut out and pickled separately. 
The backs are divided into three grades, according to size, viz, 
‘““small,” ‘‘medium,” and “large.” They are first put into a brine, the 
“large” being put in first, followed by the ‘““medium”’ and “small” 
at intervals of one hour each, so that all will be cured at about the 
same time. The coho backs, being the largest, are kept in the brine 
from 19 to 20 hours, while the red salmon backs, which are smaller, 
remain in the brine only about 16 hours. After being thoroughly 
salted the backs are removed from the brine and rinsed in fresh 
water, then hung in the air for about 24 hours to dry and to allow 
a thin skin to form on the outside. They are then hung in the smoke- 
house, in the presenec of a little fire of cottonwood or alder. On dry 
days the gable windows are thrown open and the wind allowed to 
pass through while the smoking is going on. The smoking must be 
done slowly, two weeks being devoted to it. 
There is a good demand for this product locally, the fish selling 
for from 15 to 20 cents a pair, but little effort has been made to 
extend its sale outside of central Alaska. 
) 
FREEZING. 
The process of preserving fish by freezing was first introduced in 
1888. Previous to this the comparatively ancient method of packing 
with ice, or in rare instances letting the fish freeze naturally during 
the winter months, was followed. Packing with ice is in quite general 
use to-day for shipments of fish which are to be preserved for short 
eriods of time. Cooling with ice never results in a temperature 
aes than 32° F., which, of course, does not freeze the fish. 
