MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 19 



spores of this organism (Walfischrauschbrand) which was responsible 

 for. the decomposition of the fish. 



In the preparation of anchovies, "Appetitsild," and "Gabelbissen," 

 an extensive industry in Germany (28), the importance of using fish 

 from which the feed has been eliminated is recognized. Practically 

 all the fish used in the German industry are imported from Norway, 

 where whole schools at a time are caught in powerful purse seines. 

 The fish are kept in the seines for one to several days that they may 

 free themselves of partly digested food, after which they are shipped 

 to Germany in large hogsheads containing weak pickle. 



The Maine sardine canners regard seined fish as inferior for packing 

 on account of their excessively feedy condition. At times weir fish 

 contain as much food as seined fish, hut, owing to the necessity of 

 taking fish under conditions existing at the time these investigations 

 were made, the inferiority of such fish is overlooked and feedy weir 

 fish are used. 



ELIMINATION OP FEEDY FISH. 



The solution of the difficulty experienced with feedy fish is com- 

 paratively simple. It can be accomplished by allowing the fish to 

 remain in the water long enough to digest the feed contained in their 

 alimentary tracts, which may vary from over one tide, 6 hours, to 

 12 or 18 hours, depending on the quantity of feed present. The 

 fishermen and boatmen can readily determine when the fish are free 

 from feed. For this purpose "pounds" or "pockets" (PI. I, fig. 2) 

 are attached to the weirs. A pound is practically a second weir 

 adjoining the weir proper with a drop net between the two. The 

 feedy fish are seined or driven into the pound, and held there for the 

 requisite period. Doubtless a few weirs are situated where the water 

 is so deep and the tidal currents so strong that it would be impossible 

 to build pounds next to them. In such cases the fish may be held in 

 the weirs. This is not, however, considered a good practice from 

 the fisherman's point of view, as the use of the weir for holding a 

 catch over one or two tides deprives them of the opportunity of 

 catching fish at the succeeding tides. At most weirs, pounds can be 

 built with the same ease as the weir itself. 



A concerted demand on the part of the packers for fish free from 

 feed will make it only a question of time before practically all of the 

 weirs will be provided with pounds. This would improve the quality 

 of the pack by eliniinating "feedy" fish, provide a more uniform 

 supply of fish, place the purchasing of fish and the boating on a 

 sounder basis, and help to eliminate the taking of quantities of fish 

 in excess of the capacity of the cannery, thus reducing one great 

 form of waste. 



Another solution of the "feedy" problem is to cut and eviscerate 

 the fish before beginning the canning process. Thus the feed and 



