COMMERCIAL FREEZING AND STORING OF FISH. 3 



market as " winter caught " or " naturally frozen " stock, and, when 

 the handling subsequent to the quick freezing is such that thawing 

 does not occur before the market is reached, they usually command 

 a premium because of their very fine flavor. While those who freeze 

 fish by artificial means rarely would be able to have fish delivered 

 alive to their plants, owners of freezers should make every effort to 

 have their fish delivered in prime condition. 



LOCATION OF FREEZERS. 



Fish freezers, therefore, are best located near those fishing grounds 

 which yield a regular supply of perfectly fresh fish (PI. II, fig. 1). 

 If the plant is distant from the fishing ground, or if the fish can 

 not be delivered while still cold and within three or four hours after 

 they are taken from the water, the owner should demand that the 

 fishermen carry in the holds of their boats cracked ice for the proper 

 storing of the fish as they are taken. To avoid extra handling the 

 plant should be located near the water's edge, and, if feasible, pro- 

 vided with mechanical conveyors which carry fish directly from the 

 boats to the cleaning tanks (PL II, fig. 2). 



CLEANING FISH. 



Fish as they are received in the plant must be washed free from 

 all dirt and slime in clean, cold, running water conveniently pro- 

 vided in long tanks. Whether the fish should be " gutted " before 

 freezing depends upon their size and kind, and also, to some extent, 

 upon the market to be supplied. New York and Boston, for example, 

 prefer salmon frozen in the " round " ; other sections require that 

 the entrails be removed before freezing. In the case of bluefish and 

 other larger fish which are heavy feeders or which eat freely of 

 animal material, gutting before freezing seems desirable. This is 

 true also of fish which contain much oil, especially in the liver. Fish 

 containing much partly digested feed in the stomach or having much 

 oil in the flesh, deteriorate more quickly than do empty or lean 

 varieties. Gutting of smaller fish, such as butterfish, small mackerel, 

 small weakfish, and bass, is impracticable. These fish commonly 

 are frozen in their natural state in pans containing about 40 pounds 

 (PI. Ill, fig. 1). Larger fish, like halibut and salmon, usually are 

 not placed in pans but are washed and frozen separately, especially 

 on the Pacific coast, where the fish frozen are largely of these two 

 varieties, although some black cod or " sablefish " are handled. 



FREEZING FISH. 



In the most successful establishments the panned fish are placed 

 directly on the refrigerator pipes in the " sharp freezer " room the 

 temperature of which varies from —5° to —15° F. (PI. Ill, fig. 2). 



