PACIFIC COD FISHERIES. 57 
The fish are then passed to the “black skinner,” who, with an old 
glove or a piece of bagging, rubs off the nape skins or membrane 
covering the napes, also any blood spots, and then drops the fish 
into a tub of salt water. Here the fish are soused around until 
thoroughly clean by the lesser members of the gang, who are called 
“idlers,” when they are removed and passed through a chute into the 
hold, where the “ salters” receive them. 
The salters lay the fish on their backs with napes and tails alter- 
nating, with the exception of the top layer, which is turned back 
up. A liberal sprinkling of salt is thrown over each layer, an 
especially heavy portion being put on where the fish come in contact 
with partitions or the sides of the vessel. The kenches are about 4 
feet deep and extend from side to side of the vessel and the full 
height of the hold. The first kench is usually started in the forward 
part of the hold and the salter works toward the after part. As the 
kenches settle additional fish are placed on top to keep the com- 
partment full. 
A great deal depends upon the thoroughness with which the work 
of salting is done, as it is important that every part of the fish shall 
receive a share. If the salting is well done, it is not often that the 
fish need to be rekenched; but if the salt is used too sparingly or is 
unevenly applied, souring may start, which necessitates moving whole 
kenches and resalting. Sometimes the effort is made on the Atlantic 
coast to salt a little slack in order to make the fish heavy on reaching 
port, with the result that the whole catch may be lost. Slack salting, 
owing to the length of the trips and the fact that the fishermen would 
not benefit because of the increased weight of the fish, is rarely ever 
attempted on this coast. As the fish lose their water from salting it 
runs to the bottom of the hold and is pumped out. About 21 sacks of 
salt (weighing 100 pounds each) are used to 1,000 fish when in kench. 
Soured fish have a peculiar odor, not very different from that of 
sauerkraut. Those accustomed to handling the fish become expert in 
recognizing this trouble and pick out the infected fish instantly. 
Much is said by the fishermen about the practice of dressing the 
cod on the banks and throwing the gurry overboard, claiming that 
the gurry decays on the bottom and the taint drives the fish away. 
As sand fleas (amphipod crustaceans) are very abundant on the in- 
shore and offshore banks, these scavengers, along with the sculpins 
and other bottom feeders, speedily remove every particle of edible 
meat from the gurry, thus removing every possibility of the water 
beccming polluted. At the various stations, should a couple of days’ 
stormy weather prevent fishing, the sand fleas will be found to have 
almost caught up with the accumulation of gurry, while at the 
seasonal stations a month after the season closes the usual Jarge pile 
