NATIONAL FISHERY CONGRESS. 179 



for the deterioration of the flesh immediately inclosing the abdominal cavity. It 

 would be a great saving to the dealer if the fish could be disemboweled and thor- 

 oughly washed as soon as captured. 



Decay is practically an infectious disease. It is the direct result of the activity 

 of certain microscopic organisms. If these organisms have difficulty in entering the 

 tissue of the fish, or if their activity is inhibited through the application of cold or 

 certain chemicals, the process of decay is retarded. Every time a fish is roughly 

 handled, thrown upon the deck or pitched about as so much offal, walked upon or 

 bruised in any way, the continuity of its flesh is broken and decay germs flood into 

 the rupture. The slightest bruise of an apple or pear results in the formation of a 

 center of decay quite visible to the eye. In the fish the center of decay is not so easily 

 detected by the eye, but it is nevertheless present, and its presence is damaging to 

 the dealer and disappointing to the consumer. 



Animal tissue absorbs water very readily, but on the absorption of water it 

 changes its structure, loses its flavor, and rapidly deteriorates. Fish should not be 

 allowed to lie in their own slime on wet floors, or in poorly drained barrels and boxes. 



The present method of shipping fish by the use of chopped ice is crude, expensive, 

 and often ineffectual. Poultry, meat, or anything but a fish would find no market if 

 shipped in a similar way. The fish arrive at their destination in a thoroughly unin- 

 viting condition, they are reeking with slime and filth, ghastly to the sight, offensive 

 to the smell, and disgusting to the touch. 



If the retailer, along the coast as well as inland, can be provided with fish that 

 have been properly killed, skillfully cleaned, and carefully handled he will be in a 

 position to present them to his customers in an attractive form, and the consumer will 

 discover that all fish do not taste alike, which is synonymous with saying, all fish are 

 not equally bad. 



While urging that all lines of research already undertaken by the Government 

 should be continued, I would suggest that a definite series of experiments be insti- 

 tuted which shall ascertain the best methods of preparing, packing, shipping, storing, 

 and retailing fish, for I aui convinced that improvements are possible along all these 

 lines, and that with improvement the demand for food-fish will be very materially 

 increased. Such an investigation, moreover, is eminently appropriate to the United 

 States Fish Commission, since private enterprise can not be expected to experiment 

 unselfishly for the public good. 



This opens up another question : When more improved methods have been devised, 

 how shall these, as well as the innumerable improved methods already familiar to the 

 Commission, be brought to the attention of the fisherman? 



There is no school, academy, or college, to my knowledge, in the entire United 

 States which gives even one short course in the economics of fish-culture. There are, 

 however, over 1,000,000 men, women, and children dependent upon the fisheries for 

 their existence. The importance of providing instruction in practical fishery has 

 already resulted in the establishment of schools in Norway, Sweden, Germany, and 

 Japan. Dr. J. Lawrence-Hamilton has indicated the scope and outlined the courses 

 for a Fisherfolk's Free Technical School in England, and the late Professor Goode 

 urged the establishment of similar schools in this country. Though the first purpose 

 of such a school should be to instruct, its laboratory would provide opportunities for 

 research, its field equipment would stimulate investigation, and its existence would 



