UTILIZATION OF THE FISH WASTE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 9 



The freshly caught fish are not regarded as being in the best con- 

 dition for canning. It is said that the flesh is elastic and will not 

 remain compressed in the cans. For this reason it is difficult to put 

 into a can the requisite weight of fish, and many light-weight cans 

 result. Therefore the fish are allowed to lie about 24 hours before 

 being canned. When, as frequently happens, they are hauled long 

 distances, from the trap or seining grounds to the cannery, the length 

 of time they are allowed to remain on the canning floor is brief or 

 negligible. In warm weather, or in a warm climate, to permit the 

 fish to remain unchilled for such a length of time would result in 

 their deterioration. In Alaska at least, where the weather, even in 

 the summer, is much of the time cold and rainy, little detriment prob- 

 ably is caused by their seasoning period of 24 hours, especially where 

 they are kept thoroughly washed in cold weather. 



From the floor of the cleaning house the salmon are pitched upon 

 a table by means of "pews" or one-tined forks. (PL IV, fig. 1.) 

 This is generally thrust into the head, but frequently into the body, 

 of the fish. Upon this table the fish are arranged in order and 

 passed on to the " butchers." 



CANNING. 



DRESSING. 



Formerly the cleaning or butchering was done by Chinamen, and 

 in some canneries this practice is continued. In most instances, how- 

 ever, cleaning by hand has been supplanted by machine cleaning. 



The mechanical cleaner is spoken of in the parlance of the can- 

 nery as the "iron chink" (PL IV, fig. 2), a name which originated 

 from the pseudo name of its human predecessor. Without entering 

 into a detailed description of this machine, it is sufficient to say that 

 it essentially is a revolving disk or wheel about 2 feet in diameter, 

 around which knives and stiff brushes are arranged. These work to- 

 gether to split the fish along its belly, to remove its viscera, and to 

 sever its fins, and finally its tail. 



The machine is fed by two laborers, the first of whom places a 

 fish under a stationary knife, against which it is lifted mechanically. 

 The second laborer thrusts the beheaded fish into a slot, of which 

 there are a number on the peripheral rim of the wheel, tail first, 

 so that it becomes wedged and is held firmly. It thus is lifted and 

 carried around, belly outward, by the wheel, and is brought succes- 

 sively against the knives and brushes. Abundant jets of water are 

 made to play upon the fish as it passes through the machine. 



This contrivance works rapidly and fairly successfully, with a 

 rated capacity of 50 fish per minute and an actual output of 36 

 dressed fish per minute. It thus is possible to do away with the 



59351°— Bull. 150—15 2 



