MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 33 
Taste 11.—Temperature changes in loads of fish during transit—Continued. 
“SALTED. 150 POUNDS OF SALT PER HOGSHEAD; FISH 2} FEET DEEP IN BOAT; 
ic i "7 PER CENT OF FEED PRESENT. . 
Temperature. 
Of air. 
Time |— Of fish. 
SEAS Warmest | Mean for 
day. month. 
a.™. s &. Gi iC: 
9.30 yay 9.6 il 
1O'SG60)) asco ccetenslececeseencse 14 
TPES O NS Woes ee AUS AS Werotailaies 18 
12.30 20.0 11.9 23.5 
5.56 NS? 6.7 11 
a2 Aa semicesitiecistele| cisinisisieico siests 12 
OR Neeocdesasoiclocicadcopsmon 18.5 
HOSED lesen smc esce| eslslsistecasiers 22 
1B) aodeceonedod pciaucoconooT 24.5 
). ™. 
12.30 20.0 11.9 27 
2.00 22.8 DAA iil acct tevee ete eieie 
4,20 20.0 11.1 7.5 
The changes of temperature in the outside air were not sufficient to 
account for the changes in temperature which occurred in the loads 
of fish. It is evident that fish heat when carried in bulk, as is now 
the custom, the temperature increasing in proportion to the amount 
of feed present. The temperature of fish which contained but a 
small amount of feed and were carried in pickle rose 4° during one 
and one-half hours. That of dry-salted fish, estimated to be 47 per 
cent feedy, rose 12.5° during three hours. A boatload of fish in dry 
salt, 90 per cent of which were estimated to contain feed, rose 11° 
in temperature during a run of four and one-half hours. Just before 
the fish on this boat were unloaded, practically 104 hours after they 
had been taken from the water, the temperature of the mass, taken 
midway between the top and bottom, showed an increase of 26.5°. 
The rise in temperature of masses of fish in bulk is caused by 
decomposition changes due to bacterial growth, by far the greater 
part of which takes place in the viscera and contents. As the tem- 
perature of the mass of fish rises and approaches the optimum 
temperature favorable to bacterial growth, it is evident why the 
decomposition of feedy fish proceeds, at times, so rapidly. It is also 
evident why keeping the fish in smaller bulk and at a low temperature 
markedly retards this decomposition. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
It is not necessary to salt excessively fish which are to be in transit 
for a reasonable length of time only. Since excessive salting does 
5890°—20—Bull. 908-3 
