On the Georges Bank, south-east of Gloucester, which is one of the favourite fishing grounds, the fish are caught by hand-line from the deck of the ship while at anchor. Frozen herring are used as bait, when possible. All the fish caught on the Georges Bank are salted, except the halibut, which is iced. Some idea of the value of these grounds is gained from the fact that a single fisherman may take 500 fish in a day. The Georges Bank area yields about 70 per cent of the total catch, the Grand and Western Banks accounting for the remaining 30 per cent. Approximately 60 per cent of the fish are brought in iced, and 40 per cent salted.
On returning to port the fish are pitchforked on to the wharf, and sorted into snappers (less than 16 ins. from nape to tail), medium, and large (over 22 ins.) Generally, they are divided as follows: 4 per cent snappers, 41 per cent medium, and 55 per cent large. Each class is weighed separately and carefully examined for any indication of spoilage. Any suspected fish are thrown out. The fish are then washed and put with salt into butts in the store. Fish that are brought in iced whole are sorted and weighed, and then beheaded, gutted, and split and salted. About eight bushels of salt are used to each hogshead of fish. The fish are kept, salted down in hogsheads until required, care being taken that the fish are kept covered with strong brine.
After salting, the fish are dried. The salting process effects partial drying by extracting a large proportion of the flesh fluids of the fish. The extraction of water by the salt is assisted by kenching, the fish at the bottom of the kench being pressed down by the weight of those above.
The fish are taken from the butts as required, and are piled in a kench about 4 ft. high, to express and drain off the pickle. At the end of two days the fish are re-piled, the top fish becoming the bottom, and so subjected to full pressure. If the weather is unfavourable for drying, they are re-kenched every two or three days.
The fish are then dried by exposing them to wind and sun on a bed of latticework about 8 ft. wide and 30 ins. above the ground, and as long as necessary, called a “flake.” The drying yard is known as the flake yard. The latticework is constructed of triangular-section, wooden laths, placed about 3 ins. apart, the fish resting on the upper edges of the laths.
In the hot weather, the fish are protected from sunburn by canvas awnings, and from rain at night by coops.
With a warm sun and a good breeze, drying will be complete in about 10 hours. Thorough drying throughout the body of the fish is accomplished by drying on the flakes until the surface is dry and crystallized. The fish is then kenched, and the dry surface salt extracts more moisture from the interior. The fish is then dried again, thus ensuring a much more complete result.
Fish are also dried in some factories in large, steam-heated shelf driers. This method is inclined to be too rapid, with the result that the fish are only surface dried instead of being uniformly dried right through.
After drying, the fish are kenched in the store until required. They are then skinned, the bones are removed, and they are moulded into blocks which are cut up into cakes for packing and export.