206 EIGHTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS 



the Pacific coast in 1926 (later moved to Vancouver in 1942), and on the 

 Gaspe coast of Quebec in 1936. These stations, with the assistance of 

 the Federal Department of Fisheries and the collaboration of Canadian 

 fish processers, have gone far in the investigation of the basic principles 

 underlying the utilizations of fishery products, and the applications of 

 these principles. 



The writer would draw attention, however, to the fact that not only 

 some of the principles known to the Ancients, but also those developed 

 through modern scientific research directed towards the handling and 

 processing of fishery products in many countries, are sometimes over- 

 looked or find delayed and slow application in the very countries where 

 the principles were or are being evolved. Mention has been made of 

 the opening of a fish gate on the Sabbath to allow fish to be sold in 

 Jerusalem before it might spoil on further holding; in this so-called 

 enlightened age there are still cases where fresh fish are held over for 

 later sale to the detriment of its quality because of man's cupidity, 

 where a hint from the cited solution might improve matters. The ex- 

 ample of the Athenians in securing snow from Mt. Parnassus to preserve 

 the delicacy of their oysters frequently is forgotten v/hen fresh fishery 

 products are transported long distances or held for considerable lengths 

 of time without benefit of the crushed or "snow" ice now so readily 

 available at many fishing ports. A publication only a month ago from 

 the fisheries technological station with which the writer is connected 

 described some experiments dealing with the transportation of freshly 

 caught salmon in a tank of chilled sea water aboard the fishing vessel; 

 already numerous inquiries have been received from Canada and several 

 other countries for further details, yet it is merely an application of the 

 cited invention of Archimedes in providing a tank of sea water on 

 board a Roman vessel, and also almost a repetition of experiments car- 

 ried out by another station of this Fisheries Research Board of Canada 

 and published as a public Bulletin in 1931. 



Other instances could be cited to illustrate the lack of application 

 of known beneficial principles, freely published and readily available, 

 but often forgotten, that could be used to good advantage in the hand- 

 ling and processing of fishery products from the West Coast of Canada, 

 the rest of Canada, and elsewhere. But until more attention is paid to 

 the condition and perishable nature of many such products, careless 

 handling, gluts of raw materials, or undue haste in processing to fill 

 a rush order will continue to give rise to instances of dissatisfied cus- 

 tomers who will think twice before again buying a similar product. 



As for the odours from the household cooking of fish, even high 

 quality fish products certainly can give rise to characteristic odours, but 



