﻿588 
  REPOIJT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Halibut 
  sliipraents 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Momitains 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   fall 
  and 
  winter 
  months, 
  when 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  halibut 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Atlan- 
  

   tic 
  is 
  usually 
  dangerous 
  and 
  exi^ensive. 
  This 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  is 
  

   represented 
  by 
  two 
  firms, 
  with 
  home 
  offices 
  in 
  Boston 
  and 
  Gloucester, 
  

   Mass. 
  Their 
  total 
  shipments 
  amounted 
  to 
  1,349,585 
  pounds, 
  of 
  wiiich 
  

   449,732 
  were 
  shipped 
  via 
  Victoria 
  and 
  Tacoma 
  and 
  899,853 
  pounds 
  from 
  

   Vancouver. 
  A 
  less 
  amount 
  of 
  halibut 
  caught 
  by 
  American 
  fishermen 
  

   is 
  also 
  shipped 
  east, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  finds 
  a 
  local 
  

   market 
  at 
  very 
  low 
  prices. 
  

  

  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  refrigerator 
  cars 
  has 
  been 
  met 
  with 
  the 
  building 
  

   of 
  cold-storage 
  and 
  freezing 
  plants. 
  These 
  cold-storage 
  plants 
  in 
  some 
  

   cases 
  represent 
  a 
  large 
  ca])ital 
  and 
  embrace 
  all 
  the 
  latest 
  improve- 
  

   ments 
  to 
  be 
  foun<l 
  in 
  Europe 
  or 
  America. 
  Such 
  a 
  plant 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  

   place 
  to 
  visit, 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  prepared 
  for 
  markets 
  3,000 
  to 
  0,000 
  miles 
  

   distant. 
  The 
  process 
  is 
  simple, 
  and 
  is, 
  briefly, 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  at 
  the 
  cold-storage 
  plant 
  they 
  are 
  washed, 
  

   wiped 
  dry, 
  and 
  then 
  placed 
  on 
  racks 
  attached 
  to 
  trucks; 
  these 
  are 
  

   run 
  into 
  the 
  freezing 
  rooms, 
  where, 
  in 
  a 
  round 
  or 
  undressed 
  condition, 
  

   the 
  fish 
  are 
  solidly 
  frozen. 
  From 
  the 
  freezing 
  rooms 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  taken 
  

   to 
  the 
  packing 
  and 
  storage 
  rooms 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  cases 
  liolding 
  liSO 
  

   pounds 
  offish 
  each. 
  In 
  i)acking 
  no 
  ice 
  is 
  used. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  " 
  glazed" 
  with 
  ice. 
  This 
  process 
  consists 
  

   in 
  dipping 
  the 
  frozen 
  fish 
  in 
  tanks 
  of 
  water 
  that 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  room 
  with 
  a 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  20° 
  1*\ 
  On 
  removing 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  

   once 
  glazed 
  or 
  coated 
  with 
  ice, 
  repeated 
  dippings 
  adding 
  to 
  the 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  icy 
  coat. 
  Glazing 
  is 
  an 
  extra 
  precaution 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  fish 
  

   from 
  the 
  air. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  each 
  fish 
  is 
  wrapped 
  in 
  brown 
  rag 
  paper, 
  

   as 
  an 
  additional 
  protection 
  from 
  the 
  air. 
  The 
  fish 
  having 
  been 
  frozen 
  

   and 
  packed, 
  the 
  cases 
  are 
  removed 
  to 
  cold-storage 
  rooms 
  and 
  held 
  until 
  

   needed" 
  for 
  shipment. 
  When 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  refrigerator 
  cars 
  the 
  latter 
  

   are 
  charged 
  with 
  ice 
  that, 
  except 
  from 
  some 
  unusual 
  delay, 
  lasts 
  the 
  

   entire 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  

  

  J^uring 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  experimental 
  shipment 
  of 
  fresh 
  frozen 
  

   fish 
  from 
  America 
  to 
  Europe 
  has 
  become 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance. 
  

   The 
  pioneer 
  shii)pers 
  had 
  much 
  to 
  learn 
  and 
  their 
  shipments 
  were 
  often 
  

   under 
  many 
  disadvantages. 
  Sometimes 
  shipments 
  arrived 
  at 
  their 
  

   destination 
  in 
  prime 
  condition, 
  and 
  again 
  were 
  only 
  fair 
  or 
  poor. 
  Frozen 
  

   fish 
  from 
  America 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  article 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  time 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   acquaint 
  the 
  people 
  with 
  them. 
  The 
  markets, 
  as 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  were 
  

   often 
  tiuctuating 
  and 
  shipments 
  were 
  sometimes 
  sold 
  at 
  a 
  loss. 
  On 
  the 
  

   whole, 
  the 
  results 
  were 
  satisfactory 
  enough 
  to 
  encourage 
  and 
  build 
  up 
  

   this 
  new 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  shipments 
  of 
  1895 
  included 
  300 
  

   tons 
  of 
  steelliead 
  trout 
  and 
  200 
  tons 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  chinook 
  salmon. 
  

  

  Hamburg 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  tlie 
  favorite 
  point 
  shipped 
  to, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  

   are 
  distributed 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  Continent. 
  At 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  cases 
  of 
  frozen 
  

   fish 
  are 
  transferred 
  from 
  the 
  refrigerator 
  cars 
  or 
  cold-storage 
  rooms 
  on 
  

   shore 
  to 
  those 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  steamer, 
  the 
  Hamburg 
  steamers 
  receiv- 
  

  

  