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, but, 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 OF 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 ee 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 eliminating “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 
