SOME CONSIDERATIONS CONCERNING THE SALTING 



OF FISH." 



r>y DoNAT.i) K. TuEssT.ER, Temporary Assistant, DMsUm of Fhlicry Industries. 



Contribution fi*ora the Fishery Products Laboratory, Wasliington, D. C. 



INTRODUCTION. 



THE NEED FOR EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



Although fish have been preserved with salt since prehistoric times, 

 little experimental work has been done with the view of improving 

 the existing methods. The fisherman who salts his own catches of 

 fish or who cooperates with his neighbors in salting fish has neither 

 the time nor the money to experiment that he may improve his prod- 

 uct or save labor and waste products. With a few exceptions, the 

 fishing industry has not attracted large capital for extensive opera- 

 tions. It has not been exploited, therefore, as has the meat-pack- 

 ing industry. 



Much work has been done in the hatching of fish eggs, stocking 

 streams and lakes, and increasing the aquatic life of this country 

 generally. But until recently little had been done to conserve the 

 fish after being taken or to utilize as food fish which had hitherto 

 been neglected. Little of the river herring, sea trout, Spanish 

 mackerel, kingfish, sea bass, scup, and drumfish in our southern 

 waters had been utilized until within recent years, when refrigerator 

 cars and cold-storage plants came into use. 



It required the stimulus of the enormous demand for food caused 

 by the great world war to awaken an interest in fish salting and to 

 arouse a demand for better methods. It became apparent that if the 

 methods of salting fish could be improved so that fish might be 

 salted with safety during hot weather in any warm climate the food- 

 fish supply of the United States would be gi'eatly augmented. 



" This work was undortaken in cooperation with the National Research Council, Conncil 

 of National Defense, and was at first conducted in the laboratories of Johns Hopkins 

 University, where the author had the benefit of the advice and direction of Prof. B. E 

 Livingston, department of plant physiology, and Prof. E. V. McCollum, School of Hygiene 

 and Public Health. He is also indebted to Prof. J. J. Abel, of the department of 

 pharmacology of the same university, for the use of his laboratory for the conduct of 

 part of this work. 



The results achieved, the conclusions reached, and the recommendations made in this 

 paper have their origin in experiments done on a small scale and are not to be taken 

 as having been proved by commercial practice. 



