OMMERCIAL FISHERIES iE ee wt TECHNOLOGY SUPPLEMENT ae mode Vol.13,No.1la NOVEMBER 1951 - SUPPLEMENT FISH and WILDLIFE SERVICE United States Department of the Interior W ashington, D.C. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE OSCAR L. CHAPMAN, Secretary ALBERT M. DAY, Director = Pe, sm COMMERCIAL FISHERIES: A REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS AND NEWS OF THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES PREPARED IN THE BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES A. W. Anderson , Editor R.T. Whiteleather, Associate Editor J. Pileggi , Assistant Editor wow” @ Applications for COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, which is mailed tree to members of the fishery industries and allied interests,should be addressed to the Director, Fish ond Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, 25, D.C. The contents of this publication have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted freely; however, reference to the source will be apprecioted. The Service assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of material from outside sources. The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, December 15,1949 CONTENTS PAGE PROGRAM OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE SERVICE'S BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERICS: 2... cece vccccrcrccerenesesrencsssesssercsesscescsasssesesereecees 1 PART | - FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM, 1951-52 .....s.eseseecues 2 PART |1- INFORMATION ON PROGRESS OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECTS ....+e.esseeeee 6 A STUDY OF pH OF STRICTLY FRESH COMMERCIALLY-SHUCKED EASTERN OYSTERS, BY S. Re. POTTINGER .. cc cceccsvrnvvrerererereverererererssescsererererssesenvses 8 CHEMISTRY OF MENHADEN: REPORT ON LIFERATURE STUDY, BY C. F. LEE wseseseeeees 11 CYTOLOGICAL STUDIES ON LACTOBACILLUS LEICHMANNI| IN THE ASSAY OF VITAMIN Bj, 2, BY. Sen PETURSSON. a)aritaee ciao araLetR ie ley en cierchennces occ alin elcneopatcr er cre col etree) aaleueleneamel cite Mama UTIL1ZATION OF ALASKA SALMON CANNERY WASTE AS A SOURCE OF FEED FOR HATCHERY FISH, BY R. G. LANDGRAF, JR., D. T. MIYAUCHI], AND M. E. STANSBY «.eeeeeseres 26 TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 12 - SUGGESTED CODE FOR FISH MEAL ..uvereveveseccrerereces 34 TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 13 - ACCEPTABILITY AND KEEPING QUALITY OF PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH FILLETS, BY M. Es STANSBY cesses sescccrorerecreercrerercrssneesessseces 36 TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 14 - A BRIEF STUDY OF THE ALKALI! PROCESS FOR RECOVERY OF O|L FROM PINK SALMON CANNERY WASTE, BY R. N. TEN EYCK, H. W. MAGNIJSSON, AND US EH Vs BU OR Kile vsuecele execcueneveaileceyerehe) siete) ecsere lefevetellenese.c) vey deeper eleedsveusde cueinte Meteietteivet chet tek kce mmm SIS TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 15 - CONDUCTING ORGANOLEPTIC TESTS IN THE LABORATORY, BY ; Molo STANSIEN, “Gado os dpue ouchdoodoboboouboDDOObOUDOUDOONOOODUnGDODUCO de oodoos. A REGENT sje CHNOMOGIGALS PUB ISN CATIONS :iielatetehslelaletstalenlebdlsjelelehelejefelaretalaldelelsiatelciis/ais]aielalel-mmacuG COMMERCIAL FASHERIES REVIEW ARTICLES AND SEPARATES ..c.secce-eeerevescrvees 4/ SHECIALT SCIENTIFIC RERORPAM FISHERIES oodoccccgoodcc0uooecodoUaonoDooHnonos 4 RESEARCH? REPORT ds tsret etelloi cles ersvatevarveisuaratsierere sucitoust ofelel shefeltelene eis eversrapeisteie fale aterefereeneiele tet -mmm- LS) ARTICLES BY FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AUTHORS IN OUTSIDE PUBLICATIONS ..... 48 MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS OR OUTSIDE PUBLICATIONS .....eecccrcesrcrerssssevesee 40 November 1951 Washington 25, D.C. Vol.13 ,No.1la PROGRAM OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE SERVICE S BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES INTRODUCTION Field research and Service activities of the Technological Section of theServ- ice's Branch of Commercial Fisheries are centered in four Service laboratories lo- cated in Boston, Mass.; College Park, Md.; Ketchikan, Alaska; and Seattle, Wash. Three mobile or trailer laboratories are maintained for chemical or bacteriol- ogical studies in out-of-the-way places or in locations some distance from station- ary field stations. One experimental technological research trawler, M/V Delaware, was obtained on loan from another Federal Government agency for the freezing-fish-at-sea project and related studies. Funds for technological research are provided by the Federal Government and must be used to carry out studies of greatest importance to the fishery and allied industries as a whole. However, the Fishery Products Laboratory in Ketchikan, Alas— ka, is operated and supported jointly by the Service's Branch of Commercial Fisher- ies and the Fisheries Experimental Commission of Alaska. ee : ! 2 Eg FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY, 61 SUMNE STREET (LOCKWOOD BASIN), EAST BOSTON, MASS. BUILD- ING ON LEFT HOUSES LABORATORY (THIRD FLOOR) AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES. BUILDING ON RIGHT HOUSES PILOT PLANT FOR FREEZING-FISH-AT-SEA STUDIES, COLD STORAGE ROOM, AND OFFICES FOR PILOT PLANT AND ENGINEERING PERSONNEL. 2 COMT@RCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla University and Industrial Fellowships are sponsored in all laboratories. Lim-— ited laboratory facilities are available by contract for University, State, or In- dustrial sponsored projects. Results of any such research becomes public property and is available to industry. FISHERY PRODUCTS LABORATORY IN KETCHIKAN, ALASKA. OPERATED JOINTLY BY THE U.S. FISH AND WILD- LIFE SERVICE AND THE FISHERIES EXPERIMENTAL COMMISSION OF ALASKA. In order to develop the program for the Fiscal Year 1952, beginning July 1, 1951, and ending June 30, 1952, the Chiefs of the Service's laboratories met in Washington, D. C., the last week of June 1951, On June 27, 1951, members of the fishing and allied industries attended the conference and offered their comments, criticisms, and suggestions on the previous year's program and the proposed program for this fiscal year. The following program was developed after taking into con— sideration industry recommendations: FANT | = PISRERY NeCliNOLOGIGAL RESEARCH PROGRAM, 1951-52 NUTRITION —_— ——. —— ee . . — —e O There 415 little information of a définite character available to guide the onapemede: packers in proper techniques for the freezing preservation of their products. At- tempts to hold crab meat in frozen storage have not been successful except for very short periods. The work to date has shown that one or more enzymes may probably be responsible, at least in part, for the short storage life and additional work is con- templated to identify these. (College Park) 2. Feeding studies with gums extracted from Irish moss (continued project). Gums are being extracted from Irish moss and derivatives of these coulé be used in many foods and pharmaceutical preparations. Very little applicable data are avail- able on nutritive value and wholesomeness of these products. Such data are required by Federal and State Regulatory Officials before new products are permitted to be used. Data are also needed in order to indicate the best use of a natural resource growing in fairly limited areas, (College Park) 3. Chemical and physical properties of fish and shellfish proteins: (1) Rela- tionship between protein and and water (continued pr project). The effect of controlled grinding on the water-binding characteristics of fish proteins has been investigated. Further work will be carried out on the effect of temperature on the water-binding properties of fish and shellfish protein. This investigation is directed toward pro- viding basic information which might lead toward a better understanding of the tough- November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 35 ening of fish and shellfish in cold storage, of the nature and control of drip, and of the chemical and physical changes in dried or dehydrated fish and fish meal. The work on shellfish will deal primarily with the protein of oysters from the Gulf of Mexico and the East and West Coasts. (Seattle) 4, Thiaminase content of certain species of fish used in feeding fur animals. Certain species of fish contain an enzyme mown as thiaminase which is capable of destroying the vitamin thiamin. When fish containing thiaminase are fed to fur an- imals, the animals develop Chastek's paralysis unless such fish are specially treat— ed, aS by cooking. Efforts are being made to utilize certain fish waste as a fur- animal feed. Often the first question potential users of such fish waste ask isre- garding the thiaminase content. Inadequate information is available on this subject particularly with respect to the thiaminase content of the waste as contrasted to the meat. It is proposed to analyze a few of the most important types of fishwaste, such as salmon-cannery waste and fillet waste, from a few of the commercially-impor- tant species of the Pacific Northwest for thiaminase so that this information will be available to potential users of waste for fur-animal feeding. (Seattle) REFRIGERATION 1. Freezing fish at sea, defrosting, filleting, and refreezing the fillets (con- tinued project). The research vessel M/V Delaware, now converted for large-scale commercial testing of freezing round fish at sea, will be operated during the first part of the year on a semi-commercial scale to test, and if necessary, modify freez— ing equipment and to provide commercial-size samples for piloteplant and laboratory research. These tests will serve to furnish information on: A. EFFECT OF PROLONGED STORAGE OF ROUND FROZEN F!SH PRIOR TO DEFROSTING AND FILLETING; RATIO OF BRINE TO FISH NECESSARY FOR OPTIMUM FREEZING; ABSORPTION OF BRINE BY FISH; FILLET AND VISCERA Y!ELD FROM ROUND FISH; PREPARATION OF FISH STEAKS FROM ROUND FROZEN F ISH; B. C2 D. E. FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY IN SEATTLE, WASH., WHERE BOTH TECHNOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FISHERIES RESEARCH ARE CONDUCTED. 4 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla F. COMMERCIAL THAWING METHODS; AND G. PALATABILITY OF FISH PRODUCTS PROCESSED FROM ROUND FROZEN FISH. After information on the above points is secured, the vessel will be operated on a full commercial basis and an economic study will be made on operational and handling costs. (Boston) 2. Freezing and storing Alaska shrimp and Dungeness crab (continued project). Studies will be continued on use of improved cooking methods and packaging proce- dures for frozen shrimp and crab. The effect of lower storage temperatures will be tried. (Ketchikan) 3. Preparation of a manual on the refrigeration of fish (continued project). This project will be continued. Important chapters will be written first and will be issued separately as completed. Later, all chapters will be combined into a com plete manual. (College Park) 4, affect of the cycle of different storage conditions encountered in market- ing upon the quality of frozen fish: 1) Effect of storing glazed whole fish in rooms provided with air circulation. In recent years, many cold storage plants have been constructed primarily for storage of packaged frozen foods in which refriger- ation is supplied by means of unit coolers employing a blower. This results inrap- id circulation of air which is not harmful to well packaged foods but rapidly re- moves the glaze from frozen whole fish which, if not reglazed at weekly intervals, soon become badly desiccated. This project will consist of studying the effect of protecting such whole fish against dehydration by storage in wooden boxes or card- board cartons with and without protective paper liners in order to determine the sim— plest method of storing such fish without the necessity or frequent reglazing. (Seattle) Previous experimental work has shown that freezing salmon prior to canning causes adverse quality changes in the final product, especially with regard to texture. Further studies will be made to determine the importance of time and temperature changes during both freezing and heat processing on the texture of the product. Spe- cial problems associated with the texture changes will be considered, such as the formation of excess curd and decreased yields of free liquid in the canned product. PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION mings. One of the serious economic problems in Alaska is the seasonal aspect of the most important fisheries. In order to encourage the development of off-season in- dustries, studies will be made of the preparation of specialty food products from fish and edible parts of fish waste which are not being fully utilized. The study will include the determination of processing reconmendations and palatability tests of products. The edible parts of salmon waste, butter clams, and herring are tobe investigated first. Fish will be pickled, smoked, or canned in order to develop the most suitable products for preparation in the off-season. (Ketchikan) ANALYSIS AND COMPOSITION 1. Chemical composition of fish: (1) menhaden (continued project). There is considerable concern by members of the menhaden industry as to the future demand for the products now produced from these fish. Information will be obtained on the chem- ical composition of various products and tissues of menhaden. These data should per- mit an evaluation of possibilities for developing entirely new industrial or agri- cultural products. (College Park) November 1951 - Supplement COMMIRCIAL FISHERIss REVLaw 5 —{ — Studies will be directed toward developing a more rapid test and possibly toward improving the accuracy of the present method. (Seattle) 3. Composition and cold-storage life of fresh-water fish. Virtually nothing is known about the composition and cold-storage life of lake and river fish taken in the central portion of the United States. Because of the location of the Serv-—- ice's technological laboratories along the seaboard, technological work has been concentrated on marine fish, and work on fresh-water fish has been neglected. The 150,000,000 pounds of such fresh-water fish taken commercially each year make up a Significant portion of the food fish production. On numerous occasions lack of in- formation on these fish has been a Serious handicap. It is planned to make a care- ful sampling of the more important commercial fresh-water fish and conduct analysis for moisture, oil, protein, and ash, and to make observations on the cold storage life of these species. (Seattle) BYPRODUCTS The fishery byproducts and feed utilization industries are handicapped by the lack of information on the nutrient content of fishery products. Chemical microbiologi- cal, and biological assays will be conducted to determine the vitamin By5 and niacin content and possibly also of other growth factors in fish meals and condensed fish solubles. Also studies are contemplated to determine with chicks the comparative nutritive value of the protein of the different products. (Seattle and College Park) 2. Utilization of viscera from round (whole) fish frozen at sea. The research — eS ee — - C- vessel M, V. Delaware while engaged in the freezing-fish-at-sea project will make FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL | ABORATORY IN COLL=GE PARK, MD., LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. 6 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIOW Vol. 15, No. lla available large quantities of viscera for use in feedstuffs or pharmaceutical com- pounds. WITH LACTOBACILLUS LEI CHMANNII, THE VITAMIN HAS A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON THE LENGTH OF THE CELLS. IN THE LOWER CONCENTRATIONS OF THE VITAMIN, THE CELLS TEND TO GROW LONGER AND THE DIVISION OF THE CELLS 1S RESTRICTED. FORMATION OF VOLUTIN GRANULES |S ALSO DISTURBED. INTRODUCTION In the microbiological assay of vitamin B)o, the response of Lactobacillus leichmannii to different concentrations of the vitamin can be estimated either by the turbidity of the culture or by the amount of acid produced. In high concentra- tions of the vitamin the metabolism of the cells is normal, but in very low concen—- trations the growth is poor and the acid production is near zero. It was desired to know whether these differences in metabolism could be demon- strated in the bacterial cells themselves. A preliminary microscopical investiga— tion showed that the length of the cells varied in different concentrations of the Vitamin. A comparison was then made of the variation in cell length with the tur— bidity of the broth culture and the amount of acid produced, both in standard tubes and in tubes containing samples. The results obtained are reported here. METHODS The medium used for the assay of vitamin Bio was modified from that recommended by Hoffman et al. (1949), and its composition is given in Table 1. The strain of bac- teria employed was Lactobacillus leichmannii 313 (ATCC 7830). The standard was run at a concentration that varied from 0.005 to 0.8 millimicrograms of crystalline vi- tamin Byj5 per tube. Microscopic preparations were made from the tubes after incu- bation at 37° C, for three days and just prior to titration. In other experiments, microscopic observations and titrations were carried out after incubation periods of One and two days. The slide films used for measuring the size of the cells were stained with meth— ylene blue. Twenty-five cells were measured on each slide. To exclude subjective selection, every cell found in a given field was measured. When the number of cells in a single field was less than 25, a second or third field was observed to bring the total cells to this number. When the field was crowded, all cells occurring in a 29- cell portion of the field were measured. For the microphotography, the slides were fixed in Bouin's solution and were stained with crystal violet (method of Robinow). ECA FELLOWSHIP STUDENT, FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY, BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON; PERMANENT ADDRESS: UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, REYKJAVIK, | CELAND. November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHSRIES RaVIEW 21 RESULTS Microscopic observations on the bacteria in the standard tubes were made repeatedly and always gave the same results. That is, in the high- est concentration of vitamin Bjo9, the rods were of normal length; but, as the concentration of the vitamin de- ereased, the length of the rods in- Table 1 — Composition of Double-Strength Basal Medium GIUCOSE ecccccccsvccscccsces Sodium Citrate c.cccccrccoce Sodium acetate, anhydrous .. Casein - acid nydrolyzed ... KOH OAS ieicisielclels)elele sie e/e\cle/s/s/e10 KHEPO4 cocccccrccereccccscce creased. Filaments without septa, 100 to 200 microns in lengta, were regularly found at the lowest con- centrations (0.005 and 0.02 milli- micrograms vitamin Bj9 per tube). This inverse correlation of the length of the cells with the con- centration of the vitamin and, ac- cordingly, with the final acidity in the medium was so regular that the results of the titrations could be predicted from the length of the cells. Data from a typical exper- iment in which microscopic obser- MES OrsMeeO socqgsndesuds55 36 MnS0,. 4H50 eceoveeceneseresece FeS04. 7H50 @eceeceoeeeeeeeereee0 ASParaAGine secercccccececere DL-tryptophane ececcecccceccs T—Cr Sib tNC) Velelele eis iclclels elsie/ee\e ele Ascorbic acid Tween 80 cccceccceerccccccece Distilled water eccesceccecce Adenine Sulfate ececcecccces Guenine hydrochloride ceeccee Uracil @ecoceesseececeoraetoeseeee vations and titrations were carried ara bbs Mietelelelelelelelelsislelalelalatelele 0) out after one, two, and three days 2.0 are siven in Tables 2 (see alsoFig- 2.0 ures 1 to 5). Although most ofthe 2.0 cells at the lower concentrations Calcium pantothenate eeceoee 2.0 of vitamin Bjo were of long form, p-Amincbenzoic acid eeee.---| 0.08 as can be seen from Figures 4 and Pyridoxine essceccserccccoce 4.0 5, some short cells, 2 to 4 microns YEIdOKAl eeccecreccevcacces 4.0 in length, were also found. The Pyridoxamine ecececsserereees| O68 width of the cells was nearly con- BiOtin ercceccerccrcccccvcccce 0.2 stant but, except in length andcur- FOLIC aCid ececccceccecccece 0.4 vature, no variations in the formof I/pH 1S ADJUSTED TO 5.5. the cells could be seen. Observations were made on the length of the bacterial cells in the assay tubes from several samples of fishery products. The samples were fish, fish meal, and stickwater. The length of the cells varied in the same manner as in the standard tubes. That is, at the higher dilutions of the sample, with resulting lower concen- trations of vitamin Bio» the cells grew longer. In a mixture of beef liver, hog liver, and salmon viscera that had been auto- claved with concentrated NaOH to destroy the vitamin Byo, a slight vitamin Bj9-like activity was still demonstrated in the microbiological assay. Such activity is usu- ally attributed to thymidine (Wright et al., 1948) or other desoxyribosides. Inthis particular assay a correlation was found between acid production and cell length. At the higher dilutions of the sample, the activity was lower and the cells were longer. The appearance of the volutin granules was influenced by the concentration of the vitamin. At the higher concentrations, several spherical granules made visible by meti ylene-blue staining were found in every cell. In the long cells formed at the lower concentrations of the vitamin, no regular granules could be demonstrated in this way. However, there were often two or three broad belts in the cell that stained darker thar the protoplasm. These belts were usually several times broader than the diameter of 22 COMMRCIAL FISHERIGS RiVIEW Vol. 135) Nos ita Figures 1 to 5 are Microphotographs of the Organism Lactobacillus leichmannii Grown in Media Containing Different Concentrations of Vitamin By9 Soe ay} : S ~ ESOS Nee 2 FIG. 2 - 0.2 MILLI MICROGRAMS OF VITAMIN 5By5 PER TUBE. 2 FIG. 3 - 0.08 MILLIMICROGRAMS OF VITAMIN Bi2 FIG. 4 - 0.02 MILLIMICROGRAMS OF VITAMIN By> PER TUBE. PER TUBE - a a i . is » oe. a 2 ¥ i FIG. 5 - 0.005 MILLIMICROGRAMS OF VITAMIN By)> PER TUBE. November 1951 = Supplement COMMARCIAL FISHERIWS REVLUW 25 Figures 6 and 7 are Electron Micrographs of Lactobacillus leichmannii Grown in Media Containing Different Concentrations of Vitamin By9 and Show the Structure of the Individual Cells FIG. 6 - 0.8 MILLIMICROGRAMS OF B12 PER TUBE. FIG. 7 - 0,005 MI LLIMICROGRAMS OF B,> PER 18,500 x. ; TUBE. 16,000 x. Table 2 - Data on Growth of Lactobacillus leichmannii at Different Concentrations of Vitamin B)2 Quantity of Acidity Lensth of the Cells Vitamin Bio Per Tube pH | Titration?/ Millimicrograms Milliliters |} Microns | Microns |Microns 0.8 Growth Turbidit Incubation Period 8 2 0) 5 A \NDICATES GROWTH OF THE ORGANISM. # MARKS. - INDICATES NO GROWTH. 2/M1 O.1-N NaOH REQUIRED TO TITRATE TO pH 5.5. 24 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla the rod. Structures corresponding to granules and belts can be distinguished in the electron micrographs, Figures 6 and 7. able 3 - Data on Growth of FS aRETTT leichmannii in Diluted Media Containing a Constant Amount of Vitamin ne] (0.4 Millimicrograms per’ ams per 8-Milliliters of Diluted Medium) Amount of Growth Acidity Length of the Cells Water TurbidityL/|Control Tubes®/|Sample Tubes|Titration/|Minimm|Maximum|Average| 5 eS Meiiiter Microns |Microns Vierons HAG na ae oc ae 4 6 7 7.5 4 6 # i 7 7.9 1/4 INDICATES GROWTH OF THE ORGANISM, GREATER GROWTH TURBIDITY SHOWN BY INCREASE IN NUMBER OF # MARKS. = INDICATES NO GROWTH. Incubation De Taecieceeen Period Milliliter ONO POY PF PN ee: 7 7 Yn Qaap aranp AKOAIMHMPORBOnON OrnBOPN ABIOP NSA oa i3/M1 O.1=N NaoH REQUIRED TO TITRATE TO pH BS 4/THE USUAL DILUTION. Inasmuch as it was possible that the increase in the length of the cells al- ways occurred when growth was poor and was not necessarily related to vitamin Bj5 concentrations, measures were taken to diminish the growth rate while keeping the concentration of vitamin B,)5 constant. For this purpose the medium was diluted in the first experiment with distilled water and in the second experiment with salt solution. The dilution of the medium with the salt solution was made to avoid ex- cessive change inbuffer action andinosmotic pressure. The same buffer salts were usedas in the regular medium andinthe same concentration. Thus the concentration of the buffer salts was the same in all the tubes. The concentration of the vitamin was maintained at 0.4 millimicrograms per tube in both experiments. ee Table 4 = Data on Growth of Lactobacillus leichmannii in Diluted Media Containing a Constant cave of the Buffer Salts and of Vitamin Vitamin Bjo (0.4 Millimicro er 8 Milliliters of Dilute Medium/) Amount of Amount Salt of Growth pH of pH of Acidity , Leng a of the Cells Solution Water ITurbidity2/| Control Tubes®/|Sample Tubes Titration’ [i um [Average a ; - - = = 0 yey, 1/\NCUBATION PERIOD WAS 68 HOURS. a 2/4 \NDICATES GROWTH OF ORGANISM. GREATER GROWTH TURBIDITY SHOWN BY |NCREASE IN NUMBER OF # MARKS. - INDICATES NO GROWTH. 14/M1 O.1-N NaOH REQUIRED TO TITRATE TO pH 5.5. Dilution of the medium with distilled water did not appreciably affect cell length (Table 3). The length was nearly the same as would be expected fromthe con- centration of the vitamin, even where poor growth was obtained. The results of the experiment in which salt solution was used differed from those obtained by dilution of the medium with distilled water. The length of the cells increased greatly in the hizher dilutions where the growth was also poor (Table 4). Addition of 0.0025 to 0.1 millimicrograms of cobalt inthe form of CoClo to the tubes inthe standard having the lowest concentration of vitamin By (0.005 and 0.02 millimicrograms) did not influence the length of the cells. DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY In the microbiological assay of vitamin Bj with Lactobacillus leichmannii, the vitamin has a significant influence on the length of the cells. In the lower con- 6 Pa PS Tn November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 25 centrations of the vitamin, the cells tend to grow longer and the division of the cells is restricted. Formation of the volutin granules is also disturbed. By di- luting all the nutrients in the medium except vitamin Bj5, growth rate of the cells was diminished, but the influence on the cell length was insignificant. Therefore, inereased length of the cell is not a characteristic of poor growth. The increase in cell length resulting from dilution of all the ingredients in the medium, ex- cept the buffer salts and the vitamin B,5, might be explained as an inhibition of the activity of the vitamin. Substances that are able to replace the vitamin Bj= in microbiological tests appear to have the same influence on the cell length as the vitamin itself. It is interesting to note that in cases of pernicious anemia, in which there is a deficiency of vitamin B,>, the division of the earliest forms of the red blood cells in the bone marrow is restricted, causing them to grow larger than normal. Perhaps, vitamin B)2 affects the division of the red blood cells in the same way 25 it does the cells of Lactobacillus leichmannii. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Acknowledgment is made of the advice and the assistance of Professor E. Ordal, Mrs. H. Agar, and Miss M. Loebeck of the University of Washington, and of Miss Neva Karrick of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. LITERATURE CITED HOFFMAN, C. E.; STOKSTAD, E. L. R.; HUCHING, B. L.; DORNBUSH, A. C.; AND JUKES, THOMAS H. 1949, THE MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSAY OF VITAMIN By> WITH LACTOBACILLUS LEICHMANNI|. JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 181, PP. 635-44. WRIGHT, L. D.; SKEGGS, H. R.; AND HUFF, J. W. 1948. THE ABILITY OF THYMIDINE TO REPLACE VITAMIN By> AS A GROWTH FACTOR FOR CERTAIN LACTOBACILL!. JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 175, PP. 475-6. ADA CURING OF FISHERY PRODUCTS Fish curing is an important method of preservation in the fishing industry and in the trade generally, but information on the principles involved in the salting and smoking of fish commercially is widely scat- tered. This report is a reference handbook on the problems of fish curing. It includes information from recent technical studies of the principles on which fish curing is based, discusses improvements in methods and equipment, and describes the standard metnods. By Norman D, Jarvis, Research Report No. 18. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington 25, D. C. (1950), 270 pages. For sale by the Su- perintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washing- ton 25, D. C. Price 75 cents. 26 COMMERCIAL FISHERItS REVIEW Vol. 13, No, lila UTILIZATION OF ALASKA SALMON GANNERY WASTE AS A TSOURGE Clr, Fab) Ol RIMIGRley JFISin By R. G. Landgraf, Jr.,* D. T. Miyauchi,** and M. E. Stansby*** ABSTRACT COMMERCIAL=SCALE TEST SHIPMENTS WERE MASE OF SALMON TRIMMINGS FROM A CANNERY IN PETERSBURG, ALASKA, TO THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. THIS WASTE MATERIAL, VISCERA AND EGGS, ORDINARILY DISCARDED BY THE CANNERIES , WILL BE USED IN FEDERAL FISH HATCHERIES AS AN EXCELLENT SOURCE OF PROTEIN AND VITAMINS IN THE DIET OF HATCHERY FISH. THE VISCERA WERE PACKED IN 0.002~1NCH THICK POLYETHYLENE TRANSPARENT BAGS (19 INCHES WIDE BY 42 |NCHES LONG) PLACED INSIDE A BURLAP BAG (18 INCHES WIDE BY 36 INCHES LONG) . THE MATERIAL WAS FROZEN AND SHIPPED TO WASHINGTON BY REFRIGERATED VESSEL. AL- THOUGH THE BAGS OF MATERIAL WERE ROUGHLY HANDLED DURING ALL PHASES OF THE OPERATIONS AND DURING TRANSIT, OVER 100,000 POUNDS OF THE FROZEN MATERIAL WERE DELIVERED TO FEDERAL FISH HATCHERIES IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON WITH- OUT THE LOSS OR DAMAGE OF A SINGLE BAG. THE EGGS WERE PACKED {N 30-POUND BERRY TINS. ‘COST RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE COLLECTION OF ALASKA SALMON CANNERY WASTE FOR USE IN THE STATES 1S COMMERCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE. SALMON VISCERA BAGGED AND FROZEN BY THE METHOD INDICATED HEREIN ARE ACCEPT- ABLE FOR SHIPMENT FROM ALASKA TO SEATTLE ON REGULAR COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATED VESSELS. INTRODUCTION Research toward utilization of Alaska salmon cannery waste has been carried out since 1947 by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Particular emphasis has been placed on utilization of visceral portions of the waste as a feed for hatch— ery fish and on the use of the whole waste or the waste excluding heads for fur-— animal food. This research has shown that the waste and the soft visceral parts, in particular, are an excellent source of protein and vitamins and that much of the vitamin content and the »est protein are concentrated in the fish eggs. In developing a practical method of utilizing these materials from Alaska salmon canneries, several problems had to be overcome. Transportation charges from Alaska are an important item in the over-all cost of collection and delivery of such material to potential users. Transportation companies have insisted that salmon offal would be acceptable for transportation only if it were packed in metal containers. This, in effect, would virtually dou- ble the freight on such materials, because the cost for shipping the empty con- tainers to Alaska would approximately equal the cost of returning the filled con- tainers (of course, the freight rate for any frozen material on the return ship-— ping would be slightly higher). Experiments with different types of containers resulted in development of a method of bagging the salmon waste in an inner plas-— tic (polyethylene) bag with an outer burlap bag. Laboratory tests indicated that such a container would withstand the bagging and freezing operations and the -sub- sequent rough handling that it would normally encounter. * CHEMIST, FISHERY PRODUCTS LABORATORY, BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, U. S. FISH AND WILD- LIFE SERVICE, KETCHIKAN, ALASKA. wf CHEMIST, FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY, 4x. CHIEF, PACIFIC COAST AND ALASKA TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH, (BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERIaS REVIZW 27 Another problem that had to be overcome ae was the development of a practical method for _ ne the separation of the soft visceral portion % and of the eggs alone from the entire waste. The waste as it cames from the "Iron Chink" contains heads, tail portions, fins, viscera, = and eggs. Preliminary observations made at canneries during the summer of 1950 indi- cated that several approaches to the problem were possible. .owever, the most desirable method, if feasible, would involve complete mechanical separation right at the Chink-- such that the desired, soft visceral por- tions might be diverted separately fromthe other waste onto a packing table. This would avoid any costly hand separation of the individual constituents of the waste. COMMERCIAL-SCALE TEST A large-scale collection of approximate- | ly 100,000 pounds of frozen salmon viscera and 3,000 pounds of frozen salmon eggs was made at Petersburg, Alaska, during the sum- mer of 1951. ‘The purpose of this collection ues 5S BSE one 2s a commercial gale he FIG. 1 - REAR VIEW OF IRON CHINK SHOWS feasibility of bagging and freezing viscera THE GRATE IN THE FLOOR THROUGH WHICH and to demonstrate to the commercial trans— THE VISCERA WERE DIVERTED INTO A WOODEN portationkcancerns ithat.suchamaterialls\ could), qcHURE, UNDERNEATH, THE SCANNERY shLOOR- be successfully handled in this way. This would possibly clear the way for a change in the regulations to allow shipment in bags rather than in cans, since use of cans is not economically feasible. The materials collected are beingused by Fish and Wildlife Service hatcheries in the state of Washington for regular fish feeding. Careful records were kept of all costs involved in the collection so that in the future some basis would be available for estimating sucn costs for even larger scale operations. It was anticipated that if the collection of the salmon waste for use in fish hatcheries proved to be economically feasible, a much larger potential market (a feed for fur—bearing animals) would be opened up and that many millions of pounds of such materials might be marketed each year. Details concerning the laboratory research on this project will be published at a later date. The balarce of this report deals with results of the large-scale collection of salmon viscera and eggs at Petersburg, Alaska, during August 1951. INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT AND COLLECTION OF WASTE After consultation wita operators of the cannery at Fetersburg, shields were devised ard installed at the rear of the Iron Chink to separate the viscera from the bony portions of the salmon waste. Besides the shields, the following equip-— ment was installed at the cannery: A gurry chute, 10 by 10 inches by 60 feet; a work platform, 12 by 20 feet, located 7 feet below the dock level; a draining table, 8 feet by 29 inches, made of 2 by 4-inch pieces placed on edge and spaced three-eights of an inch apart; and a slide, 15 feet Long, from the surface of tke dock to the work platform, on which an elevator moved.= 1/COMPLETE DETAILS ON THIS CONSTRUCTION WORK MAY BE OBTAINED BY WRITING TO THE KETCHIKAN (ALASKA) OR SEATTLE (WASHINGTON) TECHNOLOG! CAL LABORATORIES. 28 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla By means of shields (figures 1 and 2) install- ed at the rear of the Iron Chinks, the viscera were diverted through a grate in the floor of the can- nery into a wooden chute (10 by 10 inches by 60 feet) installed underneath the cannery floor. The vis— cera were carried down the chute by water from the sprays on the Chinks onto the draining table. A series of trap doors install— ed in the chute was used to control the rate of flow. As the viscera from the three Chinks, with much ex— cess water, flowed onto the draining: table (figure 3), FIG. 2 - SIDE VIEW OF IRON CHINK. SHOWS (AT LEFT) THE sHieLD 2¥ Undesirable portions BUILT AROUND THE VISCERA GRATE AND (LOWER CENTER) THE FINS Were picked out and dis- PILED OVER THE FIN GRATE. carded. Four men were neces— sary for the operation. One man controlled the flow and raked the viscera down the sloped table (sloped approximately 6 inches in 8 feet)to the second man (figure 4), who sacked the drained material (figure 5). The filled sack was passed to the third man who knotted the top of the polyethylene bag and wire—tied the out— side burlap bag (figure 5). The secured sack was then placed on the elevator(fig- ure 6). The fourth man hand—winched the loaded elevator (six sacks) up to dock level, removed the sacks, and returned the elevator to the platform. The fourth man also made up sacks, that is, placed the polyethylene bag inside the burlap bag (figure 7). At approximately 3:15 p.m. each day, a dump truck transported the day's output to the cold-storage plant. Two trips were usually necessary. The col— lection crew of four men loaded the truck, and two of the men (cold-storage workers) accompanied the truck to the cold-storage plant where the sacks were dumped near the freezer door. These men then hand—trucked the sacks into the freezer (average temperature of -18° F.) and placed them on the freezer plates (figure 8). This operation usually took two men approximately one hour per 100 sacks. Hach day two hand—truck loads of sacks (10 sacks per truck) were weighed. The average weight was approximately 65 FIG. 3 = DRAINING TABLE. VISCERA FLOW ONTO AND SCORE ARE RAKED DOWN THE SLOPED TABLE; THE WATER Pp ig ° FALLS THROUGH THE OPENINGS. ONE OF THE TRAP DOORS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF FLOW 1S LOCATED Normally the sacks of viscera were AT THE END OF THE CHUTE (RIGHT CENTER). oe November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 29 solidly frozen in 24 hours. After 300 to 400 sacks accumulated in the freezers, they were moved to the storage room by the regular cold-storage plant crew(figure9). PFOBLEMS ENCOUNTERED Following are the two main problems encountered during the collection: (1) Fish missed by the Iron Chink (that is,the fish fed into the Iron Chink that were not carried through but dropped ) would fall onto and clog the fin grate (figure 2). The fins would then rapidly rile up on the floor. When this build-up of material be- came too high the fins would wash underneath the Chink, down through the rear srate (figure 1) into the viscera chute, and then onto the draining table where they had to FIG. 4 - ANOTHER VIEW OF THE DRAINING TABLE SHOWS be picked out from the visceral THE VISCERA FLOWING DOWN THE CHUTE, THROUGH THE portion. The only remedy for the TRAP DOOR, AND ONTO THE DRAINING TABLE. above problem, without interfering with the cannery operation, was to periodically clean off the fin grate. This solu- tion was not ideal. (2) Separation of the soft visceral portions made disposal of the remainder of the trimmings more difficult. Ordinarly, the whole waste flowed ae easily from the gurry bininto the scow. go ee epeeea mete 85 percent® of the viscera,or soft portions, were diverted for the collection operation, very little of this material entered the cannery's gurry bin. The mass of heads, tails, and fins were difficuit to remove from the bin. This difficulty required the use of additional personnel to empty the binand then to dump the scow; normally, one man carried out the entire operation. This problem could y possibly be solved by building FIG. 5 - THE DRAINED VISCERA ARE SACKED (RIGHT) AND THE BuR- More slope into both bin and LAP BAG IS WIRE-TIED (CENTER). purry scow, Under optimum conditions (when this particular cannery was rumningall three Iron Chinks steadily), a maximum of thirty-five 65-pound sacks of viscera were collected in an hour. These conditions were seldan attained because most of the 2/ \T 1S ESTIMATED THAT 60 TO 70 PERCENT OF THE THEORETICAL YIELD OF VISCERA WAS COLLECTED. THIS VALUE WAS BASED ON THE ESTIMATE OF 25 POUNDS OF WHOLE WASTE PER CASE OF SALMON. THE VISCERA REPRESENT 29 PERCENT OF THE WHOLE WASTE OR 7.3 POUNDS OF VISCERA PER CASE OF SALMON. SOME OF THE LOSS OF VISCERA, PROBABLY UP TO 15 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT, OCCURRED AT THE DRAINING TABLE WHERE THE SMALL PORTIONS FELL THROUGH THE SLOTS. 30 CQMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla collection was made during the first half of the season at a time when the cannery was not operating at full capacity. An average of 120 sacks per day (range of 90 to 150) was col- lected with the facilities used. During an eight-hour shift, only one-half to three-fourths of the time of the workers was spent in actual collection of the materi-— al. The remainder of the time was spent in taking the material tothe cold-storage plant, emptying the gurry bin and dumping the gurryscow, and making minor adjustments to and cleaning the equipment. Also, the collection was carried out over only a portion of the season, and only until the desired quota of 100,000 pounds was reached. Had operations continued for the final ten days of the season, the prorating of certain fixed costs and capital investments for a larger production would have resulted in a smaller unit cost per FIG. 6 = THE SACKS OF VISCERA ARE LOADED ONTO THE pound of the viscera and eggs. ELEVATOR AND ARE HAND-WINCHED FROM THE PLATFORM UP TO THE DOCK LEVEL. COSTS OF COLLECTION OF WASTE Table 1 lists the costs of collecting the salmonvis— cera, Only the costs of the actual materials and services necessary for the visceracol= lection are given, Cost of all man hours in- volved in the actual collect— ion are figured at the rate of | $2.00 per man hour straight . time and $3.00 per man hour overtime. Table 2 gives information | on the cost sreakdown for the Y= collection of frozen salmon FIG. 7 - THE MEN ARE PULLING THE POLYETHYLENE BAG OVER THE eggs; table 3, information on SACK STAND; A BURLAP BAG (UPPER CENTER) 1S THEN PULLED shipping costs from Petersburg, OVER ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE POLYETHYLENE BAG. THE COM- PLETED CONTAINERS ARE PILED ON THE STAND BEHIND THE MAN Alaska, to Seattle; and table ON THE LEFT. 4, costs in cents per poundfor collection of salmon viscera and eggs, calculated f.o.b. Petersburg and f.o.b. Seattle. The cost f.0.b. Seatbie of the viscera is 5.21 cents,and of the eggs is ere i November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISH!RI&S REVIEW SL 7.75 cents per pound (not including capital investments or depreciation). In com- parison, the Fish and Wildlife Service hatcheries in 1951 paid 9 cents per pound Table 1 - Cost of Collection of 100,750 Pounds of Salmon Viscera F.O.B. Steamship Dock, Petersburg, Alaska ocmiale. Mele GOOMD Uap mbDAcS meres eleiececialerelciiele ecules csiclenl suite aes lp COORpDOMN eb hiyllone msi er Siretelatere slate sreleieieleicin eo aielelele.clcieic eicieve Zs O OOM C aLH-O Sitetelelalelalaleloierelalsiistaleterelsietels/siexeloieisialeletevelera\sieleiciore ae Wilt O= ivan PEG OOlaesyeiclelelelercisicisieie'sje eieeioc cites ce cicieec cece Si PpANE NS catiblLembOnhCbLGRSDULE eclecjeclelcccicceceeciicciccaces Wisecwa (UCOA750) Ws ERS HORACE) ier I)5)) oqdosassosoneceocosDobneass Eroeminmemandestoracenl(p 7 OOMperit.O000! LbSe)) siciecececice cen eesceccece PamtinoupyerransheraCOnm (poeOOmper OUD) siceesccicicicecacccieccie cece e Labor for the Collection eae hrs. at $2.00 per ae Ricieveletetate’eieleieic 35 hrs. at $3.00 per hr. Cofd—Stonacemhandlin em Charnes) iereeic/eleicivivlclclcrcielele eicle/cieicieis cicleleie/eve cicie e:sieieie EC ASI ONT atelaletelolelaleloloiotarelevereleieisvelcieicieis eieleicicie ciavele eis ccielcrsicievelsicicisieie oc see for eggs obtained in the Pacific Northwest. The price paid for salmon waste has varied with the degree of separation of the heads, tails, and fins from the soft visceral parts. The amount paid for the viscera, equal in quality to that obtained in this collection, has been greater than 5 cents per pound. Table 2 - Cost of Collection of 3,000 Pounds of Frozen Eggs F.0.3. Steamship Dock, Petersburg, Alaska Item Cost Material oO—tbeamherryr tinue) lldSwelee celica secce cciecece cele scceilte ce % 38.00 Shipping Cost Seattle to Petersburg c.ccocesccccccerererce 355.00 BAS OBC O AMO TIBMOUNG!) | tereyelciclaieiare'cleicicic Sle 6 eleva 60:0 Sle es els/ecle vie eltieoe oe e's 15.00 Pah Ors LOE COUMMG Cid OMmstslelelolsioia’e clele/elslalcleiclelsieis ce c.eiclecls clecic celecicieseceice cies 56.00 Pece er ean GMS Ola Metelelatsistatelel siele elcleleleleleleleleie’s c)s «sie sle/c @ slejc ec cleleicve cielolale 21,00 Colld=Storacewlandicimar CDA TG) isc eee cicls\e ccielnclejcics clea cievececesiocecescecee 2.00 One Sh Gist ow eteteteletetelatelaieieteleveleclelelclaiaic cisicieleicis siecle ec'e eee ols eisielcio sie cleleiele cele 6.50 Isang: lyy WesisieIE (Og GoGoOCOONDOOUDDDUG CODON OOOUNOOOUOUDDOGOOOGODC 3.00 > 177.00 Observations on the adequacy of packaging, using the polyethylene bags within burlap, were made by Service personnel during handling at Petersburg and on arrival at destination. Examination by representatives of a commercial steamship company was made at destinetion. Table 3 — Shipping Cost of Salmon Viscera and Eggs from Petersburg, Alaska to Seattle, Washington Cost ransportation of 1,550 sacks of Viscera (2,722 cu. ft. at $0.675 SMC seals bia} lerseielsiatetoreicicielsialsisievela/eleicic\elaleisieleleia s eiee cic esic ssiclesiceccececis Wharfage and Handling (Petersburg and Seattle) (2,722 cu. ft. at pO Mel iccill DEVIC oer User ta Gey) vaya eiehelelotevelolelele ciciateleior o.e\s ere c.elslecieisieceweisie 6ces LOGAN eetelclelalcleleiolelelclolelclalelelclolcletelalelelale ransportation of 100 Cans of frozen eggs (66.8 cu. ft. at 0.7125 OEIC Umptitiel etetercleletelotelslelels(elersioraiela elarelalelotelclaieis|cleicieleieleleicieleleisieicicieieleiela’s Wharfage and Handling (Petersburg and Seattle) (66.8 cu. ft. at SO eplcite Sane Pu Clic tb iap) v ereyeveieteieisie|ejeiwleisve\ersssyeis'e/e\ercleretajavelese ep ers elsieerelcie's MOG elcloletelelaletoleicleleleleieiaislelslelolaictelctelel $1,837.35 5350.04 pe, 167.59 32 COMMERCIAL FISHERI4S REVIEW Vol. 13, No. lla Price Per Pound F.0.b. Steamship Dock, Seattle Wash. L/ Cents Table 4 - Summary of Costs for Salmon Viscera and Eggs Price Per Pound Shipping Cost, Per Found, 9.21 7279 1/CAPITAL INVESTMENTS AND DEPRECIATION COSTS NOT INCLUDED, SINCE THEY WOULD ORDINARILY BE PRO RATED FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS. ALSO, THE COSTS WILL VARY WITH THE LO- CATION OF THE CANNERY, RATES FOR LABOR, TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. FOR THIS PARTICULAR OPERATION THE COST OF MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES AND CONSTRUCTION REQUIRED FOR THE ENTIRE COLLECTION AMOUNTED TO $413.19. THIS AMOUNT, UNDOUBTEDLY, WILL REPRESENT AN AVERAGE INVESTMENT THAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED FOR A THREE-LINE SALMON ~CANNERY OPERATION. The container employed for this purpose was a 0.002-inch thick polyethylene transparent bag, (19 inches wide and 42 inches long) placed inside a burlap bag (18 inches wide by 36 inches long). The burlap bag, being smaller than the plastic liner, takes up most of the strain during packings, freezing, and handling operations. This size of bag would hold, if filled completely, about 100 pounds of material. However, by placing only 65 pounds of material in the bags, handling was greatly fa- cilitated. Greater ease in closing the polyethylene bag resulted inasmuch as it was possible to tie a knot in the poly- ethylene bag for a rapid, secure closure. It seems that 65 pounds is the best weight for ease of han- dling; also, this size packagefits between freezer plates more readily than a 100-pound size. The 65-pound bags of unfrozen salmon viscera were subjected to ex- tremely rough handling without rup- turing the polyethylene liners or otherwise damaging the begs. Un- frozen bags of viscera were loaded into a dump truck for transporta- tion from the cannery to the freezer. Upon arrival at the freezer, they were dumped onto the floor, during which process some bags fell 6feet or more onto the concrete floor or onto other bags. This rough treat- ment did not necessitate the re- bagging of a single container. The bags were still in excel- lent condition after they were han- dled in the usual manner, at the FIG. 8 - THE SACKS OF VISCERA ARE LYING ON THE cold-storage plant and after they FREEZER PLATES (LEFT) WHERE THEY ARE NORMALLY were unloaded at Bellingham or Se- FROZEN SOLID IN 24 HOURS; THE CANS CONTAINING attle, Washington, No difficulty THE EGGS WERE FROZEN WHILE STACKED ON THE FLOOR. was experienced in bags sticking to freezing plates or to each other. November 1951 - Supplement COMMMRCIAL FISHERISS RaVInil 53 The containers were clean with no -ish material adhering to them, Inspec- tion of the shipment at different points en route to the hatchery and after ar- rival at the hatchery failed to show a single bag which had lost any of its con- tents or which needed rebagging for any reason whatever. The shipments from Alaska to Wash- ington were made in two lots. The first shipment of about 60,000 pounds would not be accepted by any commercial steamship ‘company because, contrary to regulations, the viscera were packed in bags rather than metal containers. The first ship- ment was made aboard a refrigerated ves- sel belonging to one of the salmon can- neries, and delivery was made at Belling- ham, Washington. Inspection of this shin- ment by representatives of a regular com- mercial steamship company convinced them toat such a method of packaging would probably be satisfactory. Accordingly, [ they agreed to ship the second lot of — i = about 40,000 pounds. This shipment was FIG. 9 - THE FROZEN SACKS OF VISCERA ARE STORED jn excellent condition when it arrived IN REGULAR COLD-STORAGE ROOM AWAITING SHIPMENT in Seattle. The steanship company offi- ZEN HALIBUT. cials indicated, therefore, that future lots of salmon viscera bagged and frozen as indicated herein would be accepted for'shipment from Alaska to Seattle on their regular commercial refrigerated vessels. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Acknowledgment is made to: Pacific American Fisheries, Inc., for the use of their facilities, andin particular to Mr. Ivan Finsberg, superintendent; Mr. Ralph i Erickson, foreman; and other personnel at the company's cannery at Petersburg, Alas- ‘ Ka, whose cooperation andassistance made this salmon waste collection possible; the i Alaska Fisheries Experimental Commissionfor the use of theirfacilities and person- nel; Mr. William A. Hagevig, Laboratory Assistant for the Alaska Fisheries HExperi- mental Commission, for assistance in the plamning and engineering the installations made at the cannery and for assisting in the collection of the viscera. Greg ¥ f 54 COMMERCIAL FISHiIRIGS Ravikw Vol. 13, No. lla TEGHNIGAL NOME NO, l2—S SUCCESSES Cepe FOR BiSheviaAS The California Hay, Grain, and Feed Dealers Association has been working on the establishment of a code for fish meal, use of which will be voluntary with the producer as well as with the buyer. The following is the proposed code: ili Il. IIl. TEXTURE AND COMPOSITION. A. Uniform grind, color, and protein content per lot: Differences be- tween lots, in grind and color, are not desirable but are not as un- satisfactory as differences between bags within the same lot. The protein content of individual bags within a lot should not vary over a range greater than 5 pounds of protein per 100 pounds of meal. Maximum particle size: All particles should pass a No. 7 Tyler standard screen or a U. S. No. 7 standard screen, and 98 percent of the particles should pass a No. 9 Tyler standard screen or U. S. No. 10 standard screen. Moisture: An average moisture content of 8 percent, with a deviation not greater than plus or minus 2 percent, is satisfactory. A moisture content as high as 12 percent places the meal in the danger zone for heating and spoilage; a moisture content of less than 6 percent is contrary to present shipping regulations. Fat: The fat content should not be less than 5 percent nor more than 10 percent, and preferably not more than 8 percent. A low fat con- tent is undesirable because of dustiness. A high fat content in- creases the hazard during storage. Labelling: All statements appearing on the tag are the manufacturer's responsibility. The tag should have on it the name of the manufac-— turer, the kind of fish meal, and the number of the lot. MAINTENANCE OF QUALITY. A. Manufacturing: In drying the meal, avoid dehydrating it to less than 6 percent, and avoid overheating it, both of which impairs protein quality. Curing: The meal should be cooled and cured prior to sacking. Heat— ing during shipment may cause lumping and loss of quality. Sweating may cause moisture condensation, wetting, and mold growth. PACKING AND SHIPPING. A. B. Weight: The sack should contain not less than 100 pounds on the standard moisture basis. Bag Size: To facilitate piling the bags, use one size of bag in any given shipment. ern. November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 355 Ge Sterilizing: Used bags should be cleaned and sterilized in order to prevent the spread of communicable animal diseases. D. Preventing damage: Use "temporary car doors" to protect the bags against damage when the car doors are opened. E. Separating lots: If more than one lot of meal is shipped per car, the lots should not be mixed indiscriminately but should be clearly separated by means of paper or other suitable dividers. UTILIZATION OF FISHERY BYPRODUCTS IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON Very little fish scrap is being discarded in the States of Washing- ton and Oregon. The small amount not utilized is either in an area where the supply is inadequate to support a commercial Operation, or else the material is of such a nature that it does not command a market. Companies have failed because the supply of waste has been insufficient. Others have lost money on the production of materials not in demand. Anyone who intends to enter the field of byproducts should, therefore, make a thorough survey of the source of supply and the market for the finished product. The byproducts industry is not static. Changes are taking place, and the field is becoming increasingly competitive. Fish waste, in earlier years, was thrown away. Later, it was utilized only by re- duction plants. Now it is in demand for reduction purposes and for mink feed and other uses. With few exceptions, the operations have not produced appreciable revenue, and many firms have operated largely on a marginal basis. For this reason, there is a continuing and in- ereasing pressure to find more remunerative uses for the waste. The problems to be solved are not easy; but with a rapid acceleration in technological knowledge and the demands of a growing population, further changes are inevitable. Fish waste in Washington and Oregon is utilized as the whole waste or is separated into its various components and selected portions util- ized. The whole waste is used in fish hatcheries, on fur farms, in pet food, and in reduction plants. The selected portions used are the skins, eggs, and livers and viscera. The skins are processed for manufacture into leather for women's shoes; the eggs are made into caviar and fish bait; and the livers and viscera are rendered for oil and vitamin A. The most important producing areas in Washington are Puget Sound, Grays Harbor, Columbia River, and Willapa Harbor. In Oregon, the Astoria- Warrenton-Hammond area is the center of greatest production. Also im- portant are Yaquina Bay, Coos Bay, and Tillamook Bay. --By F. Bruce Sanford --Fishery Leaflet 370 36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 135, No. lla TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 13-- ACCEPTABILITY AND KEEPING QUALITY OF PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH FILLETS Recent developments which permit Sebastodes alutus to be marketed as "Pacific ocean perch" raise the possibility of the creation of a new commercial fishery in the Pacific Northwest. This species resembles the Atlentic Coast ocean perch or rosefish (Sebastes marinus) more nearly than it does the other rockfishes. Until recently Sebastodes alutus was a little kmown member of the rockfish group of fishes. During the past few years a number of otter trawl vessels in- ereased the length of their trawling gear in order to drag in depths approaching 100 fathoms. When this gear was used in certain areas adjacent to the Oregon coast, huge schools of rockfish, often made up almost completely of Pacific ocean perch (Sebastodes alutus), were encountered. Prior to this time, the widespread occurrence of this species at considerable depths had not been suspected. Further evidence as to the widespread occurrence of Pacific ocean perch was obtained by the Service's exploratory vessel, John N. Cobb (Alverson and Welander). During exploratory operations in 1950 it was observed that small fish of this species were an important part of the diet of albacore tuna caught from the northern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands to Cape Blanco, Oregon, and from 30 to 380 miles offshore. During the summer of 1950, the Seattle Technological Laboratory collected samples of Pacific ocean perch (Sebastodes alutus), ocean perch (Atlantic) (Sebastes marinus), and several species of commercially—important Pacific Coast rockfish. The purpose of this collection was to determine the relative initial palatability and the cold-storage life of these species. All samples were put up commercially by regular packing procedures. They were frozen and then stored at 0° F. Organoleptic observations were made on the fillets immediately after freezing and after various storage intervals. The fillets were examined by a testing panel for appearance, flavor, and texture. The initial palatability of the Pacific ocean perch was superior to that of any of the other Pacific Coast rockfishes. Texture especially was more tender. PACIFIC OCEAN PERCH (SEBASTODES ALUTUS) ae November 1951 - Supplement COMMERCIAL FISHERISS REVIKW 37 Before any cold-storage period had begun, all rockfishes and the ocean perch (Atlantic) were of good flavor and color. The Pacific ocean perch had less dark meat in the surface layer beneath the skin than the other Pacific Coast species. When the Pacific ocean perch was compared with the ocean perch (Atlantic) before cold storage had begun, a slight preference was exoressed by the testing panel in favor of the Atlantic species. This was based upon a more tender texture. However, the difference was quite small. When the various species were held in cold storage at 0° F., all underwent changes resulting in slow to rapid deterioration, The texture tended to become tough. The flavor indicated varying degrees of rancidity. The color of the fillets, especially of the dark layer beneath the skin, became still darker. These changes were most extreme with the various species of Pacific Coast rockfish other than Pacific ocean perch. Sebastodes pinninger (a red or orange rockfish extensively packed commercially) had undergone considerable change after four months of storage and after five months was considered of dubious salability. Sebastodes ruberrimus (commonly referred to in the Pacific Northwest as red rock= fish or "red snapper") showed especially rapid initial deterioration, being defi-=- nitely and adversely altered after only two months at 0° F, Fillets from this fish were considered unsalable, or nearly so, after six months of storage. The Pacific ocean perch did not show any extensive changes until after six months storage at 0° F., and was considered of marketable quality until it had been in storage for eight months. The ocean perch (Atlantic) had nearly as great a storage life as the Pacific ocean perch and had reached the same stage of de- terioration after seven-and—one-half months at 0° F. as the Pacific ocean perch reached in eight months. There was very little difference between the Pacific ocean perch and the ocean perch (Atlantic) as to general acceptability. Before extensive cold storage there was a slight preference for the ocean perch (Atlantic), but after several months at 0° F. the Pacific ocean perch received a slight preference. Contrasted to this, the common red rockfish species (S. pinninger and S. ruberrimus) had lower initial palatability and much shorter cold— storage life. When Pacific ocean perch are caught in depths of about 100 fathoms, they are usually found in schoois which contain few other species of rockfish. Two rock— fish species which most frequently accompany Pacific ocean perch are S. diploproa (no common name) and an unidentified species kmown locally in Oregon as "idiot." These are small red rockfish resembling fairly closely the Pacific ocean perch. The S. diploproa occurs more frequently with Pacific ocean perch than does the "idiot." In table 1 are tabulated results of storage tests on the Pacific ocean perch and the S. diploproa and "idiot" species as well as two other species of rockfish (S. ruberrimis and S. pinninger) which are handled quite extensively in Table 1 - Cold Storage Life of Several Species of Rockfish (Sebastodes) and Ocean Perch (Atlantic) (Sebastes) | ‘Cold Storage Life | é _ Species of Rockfish ae an F. onths Pacific ocean perch "idiot" none "red snapver'! orange rockfish Ocean perch (Atlantic) 5 (unidentified) - diploproa - ruberrims - Dinninger Sebastes marinus ee 38 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 15, No. lla the commercial fishery. Pacific ocean perch had the longest storage life (eight months) at 0° F., closely followed by the "idiot" species (seven months). The — S. diploproa had a storage life of only six months (equal to that of S. ruberrimus). At the bottom of the list is the orange rockfish (S. vinninger) which is one of the most frequently handled rockfish in the commercial fishery. In view of the superior cold-storage life of the Pacific ocean perch as con- trasted to that of the svecies of rockfishes ordinarily packed commercially on the Pacific Coast, it would appear that it should be vossible to market frozen Pacific oceaa perch without any great technological difficulties arising with re— spect to deterioration in cold storage. If the species will withstand intensive fishing, it may be possible to develop an extensive commercial fishery for Pacific ocean perch. LITERATURE CITED ALVERSON, DAYTON L., AND WELANDER, ARTHUR D. NOTES AND KEY TO THE SPECIES OF ROCKFISH SEBASTODES OF WASHINGTON AND ADJACENT AREAS. (UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT) --M. BE. Stansby, Chief, Pacific Coast and Alaska Technological Research, Seattle, Washington.