﻿2 The Philippine Journal of Science 1914 



backbone and the posterior end of the body cavity. This enables 

 the operator to spread the fish out flat in three united sections, 

 the backbone constituting one section. If the fish is very large, 

 two gashes are cut in the thickest part of the flesh on each side 

 so that the salt may penetrate more quickly. The entrails are 

 then removed. The entire operation requires less than half a 

 minute by an experienced Moro using a bolo. The fish are then 

 sold to Chinese, who place them at once in a large vat of brine 

 sufficiently strong to float a potato. About 1 sack of salt to 3 

 picules of fish (418.5 pounds) is used, but this brine is too 

 weak. The fish are usually left in these vats for three or four 

 days ; then they are placed on platforms to dry ; each evening, or 

 when rain threatens, they are gathered up and piled in kenches. 

 This process is continued until they are thoroughly dry and ready 

 for the market. Dried fish from Sitanki are said to spoil very 

 readily. I believe this to be chiefly due to the lack of care in 

 keeping the brine sufficiently strong and the vat sanitary. 



In Manila, where a very large quantity of small fish is cured, 

 especially sardines and young herring, the process is as follows : 

 The fish are washed in sea water when they are removed from 

 the boat, placed in strong brine for from two to three hours, 

 and spread on flakes until thoroughly sundried (Plate I). 

 They are then ready for packing and shipping. These fish are 

 dried in the round, and are covered each night and during 

 showers. Owing to the fact that frequently fish of from 20 to 

 22 centimeters were included in the lot, they were not cured 

 properly. Consequently, a city ordinance was passed requiring 

 the evisceration of fish of more than 15 centimeters in length, 

 when they were to be sundried. This was purely a sanitary 

 measure. 



During the dry months in the Philippines, it is much better to 

 depend upon sundrying with a minimum amount of salting for 

 preserving fish. On the Grand Banks of the Newfoundland 

 coast, the fish are stored in kenches on shipboard. About 11.4 

 hectoliters (1.5 bushels) of salt for 45.30 kilograms (100 pounds) 

 of fish are used for these. When the fishermen reach the shore, 

 however, they cure the fish by pickling or by a combination of 

 drying and pickling. 



PICKLING 



In pickling fish it is customary to use either a rectangular 

 trough or a large hogshead which will hold about 193.05 liters 

 (61 gallons). This is called a butt. A thick layer of salt is 

 sprinkled on the bottom of the butt, then the fish are placed in 



