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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. rrata o )elure. 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I ISc( II DIRECTIONS FOR lAKING AND CURING HERRINGS: AND FOR CURING COD, LING, TUSK, AND HAKE; -■*> tfv SIR THOMAS DICK LAUDER, Bart., ■SeCCBTARV to THR honourable tub board of BRITISH FlSIIBBUa. i.' ^ ' . REPRINTED AND CIRCULATED BY COMMAND OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF NEW^BRUNSWICK. SAINT JOHN: PRINTED BY HENRY CHUBB tb CO. ritlNCE WILLIAM-STRBBT. 1850. f NOTICE. These Directions are now reprinted , because the information and the instructions which they convey are calculated to be most useful to the Fishermen and Fish Curera of New-Bruns- wick. It need not be pointed out that some of the details may be inapplicable to the Fisheries on these Coasts, and are framed jwiih special reference to official arrangements in Scotland. DIRECTIONS FOR TAKING AND CURING HERRINGS. Printed and circulated by the Honourable the Conimissiotten of the Board of British Fisiieries. Fresh Herrings, when in prime condition, form a cheap, de- licate, and nutritious article of food, and when promptly and effi- ciently cured, they become valuable as provision. But their value in these respects must necessarily depend entirely on the condition of the fish when caught, and on the degree of promptitude and care which may be exercised in curing them. Herrings, in regard to their condition, may be divided into three classes, viz., Matie? — Full Fish — and Spent or Sholteu Fish. Maties are those fish in which the roes and milts arc perfectly but not largely developed — and it is well to understand that this is the state of the fish in which it is truly in the best condition for (ood — and when it will be found most delicious to eat, as well as most nutritive. Although it does not exhibit, whilst in ihis condition, so bulky an appearance as it does when it is in that of a Full Fish, it is in reality much fatter, for the bulk of the Full Fish is deceptively produced by the great enlargement of the roe or milt, and this does not take place without a corresponding diminution of the body of the fish. The Full Fish, however, are those which are most sought after in a mercantile point of view, because of their larger appearance. The Spent or Shotten Fish having just per- formed their function of spawning, and having been thereby re- iiaced to a miserable, lean, and poor state, are unpalatable, an^ more or lc8s unwliolcsomo as fuoci wlion in a fresh state, unU in a Jitill greater degree when eured. The more imuiediately ihey ure taken after spawning the worse they will be, and »he longer Iho timo that expires after their performance of thai fiuiclion, the less unpalatable or unwholesome they will become. Rut it is always advisable to avoid taking or nsiug thetn in any way until they shall have had time to be fully recruited after their thorough exhaustion from spawning. The different classes of persons directly employed in the trade which pi-oduces tlio article of commerce, called salted or pickled Herrings, are FishernieJi, rislj-curorSjCJutteis, Packers, and Coop- ers, and if the portion of work v.hich more immediately belong* ti) each of these clas.^es be in any instance improperly performed, the whole value of tl;a article may bo sr impaired as to be ren- dered altogether unmarketable. Each class, therefore, should per- form its duties carefully and expertly, so that by the care and at- tention exercisad by ali of them towards one object, their united exertions may bring the manufactured fish to the highest degree of ptjrfection of which it is capable. If the Fishermen are so careless in handling the fish as to injuro them in any way, the mischief •^nnnot be repaired by curers — and if Curers fail in their part, the (exertions of Gutters and Packers will avail nothing in making amends for their neglect ; and although all these may have done their parts well, if Coopers bo inattentive to their particular duly, ihu fish, however well cured, may be destroyed. Hence it is ne^ ftessary to have the most vigilant superintendence over all these departments, which, if properly exercised, will not much increase rhe expense of production, whilst it will insure well-cured Her- rings, and a ready market, and likewise raise the cluiraotqr of out Uritisl) fisheries still higher in foreign countries. FISHERMEN. Jt is advisable, in the first place, to consider those things that require to be attended to in the capture of the fish. The Dutch mode of taking them, by employing vessels of from 60 to 90 tons, has many advantages over that of our British fishermen, who use boats only, and especially that of enabling the crews to cure their Herringsi immediately on board, a'^l almost before they are well ^leftd. This mny be corwiilored ns one great cnuno '^f thb stiperidr flavour of Dutch-cured fish, n» tho fish must sulTer to a certain ex- tent every moment they remain without having saft applied to them. In one point, however, our boats have an advantage over tho Dutch vessels, that much finer netting can bo used in them, tho weight of the Dutch vessels requiring stronger nets, made of heavier twine, which is not likely to be so successful in taking fish as nets made of twine of a liner description. Any general intro- duction of the use of such vessels as are used by tho Dutch, how- ever, cannot perhaps be looked for ; but it may be pointed out as a thing most desirable, that tho boats employed by our fishermen shruld be as large as possible, to be convenient for rowing in calms. Were well-built, well-rigged, and well-found boats of from 15 to 18 tons.moro common amongst our fishermen than they arc, and were these always maned by at least six men and a boy, wo should hear of fewer lives being lost — and much more might be achieved by hardihood in contending with heavy seas and gale« of wind, and thus much more fish might ho captured. But this l« not all — for although the fish when caught could not perhaps be cured directly on board of such boats, as they are with so much jidvantiige in the Dutch vessels, they could, at least, be much bet- ter preserved until landed, than they possibly can be in smnHer boats. The boat ought to be put into perfect order, and properly tarred, and the tar well hardened before the fishing season com- mences, for if the tar happens to have been too recently applied, those fish which accidentally touch the skin of the boat, will be con- taminated wh!i a taste of tar, and as early caught fish are often slightly salted and hurried to market, to obtain high prices as an immediate delicacy, if tho flavour or even the smell of tar is per- ceptible in the pickle or fish of a single barrel, the character of thb whole parcel may be injured. It is most essential that all boats should be furnished with pumps, the occasional working of which, if necessary, will keep the boat dry, for nothing is found to be more prejudicial to the fish than their being permitted to wash backwards and forwards in a bath of sea-water, filling the bottom of tho boat, by which they have their scale* rubbed off" by friction against each other, and they are macerated in such a manner as to }o$)e the greater and richer part of their natural juices, and to bi?- li come flabby, unsightly, and tasteleM ; and if, in addition to th^ pump, the boat were floored with deal boards, perforated with holes large enough to allow any water tliat might be shipped to find its way downwards, it would not only ndd greatly to the com- fort of tho crew, but it would tend to keep the fish in much better state till they should be landed. Bottom, or limber bonrds, fjot spurs, and walking planks, may be considered as essentials for the preservation of the fish. Whenever tho fish are landed, the lim- ber boardrf should be removed, ond the whole interior of the boat should be properly washed and scrubbed. This should be done daily during the fishing season, and thus the glut is much more easily removed, and the boat is rendered clean, and freed from all taint or smell, before proceeding to sea on each successive voyage. Each boat should be provided with a comfortable place forward, for ihe crew retiring occasionally to sleep or to shelter in, covered with a half deck, and every man should have a comfortable oil- f^kin canvass coat and trowsers and boots; and if each were to be provided with the patent Edinburgh ii^afety Cape, invented by Mr. Simpson, or auch safety packets as are now furnished to the Coast Guard, many lives would bo saved, which u-ould otherwise be lost. As every large boat may have a fire on board, coffee in any quantity could bo heated for the crew, and this would tie found on trial to be a much more comfortable and nourishing drink for them, and much more enduring in its effects than any spirituous liquor, and free from all after bad consequences. Where large fleets of fishing boats are assembled, it is a com-^ mon practice for the whole fleet to follow the course pursued by the first boat that puts to sea, and to run for the same fishing ground. This may be a wise mode of procedure where the cer- tainty of finding a body of fish in that particular quarter njay have been already ascertained, but when this happens not to have been the case, it would be much more advisable for the boats to go in Separate courses, so as to increase the chance of some of them falling in with the body offish; and when that has been discovered, the other boats of the fleet might afterwards join them, and thus all might fish successfully ; whereas by the present practice, if the fish are not encountered by the first boat, tho whole fleet are likely to be equally disappointed. Under any circumstances, the boats •hould' nof crowd too mnch together, but leave sufficient intervals of room between each other, so that the trains of net may be ■hot without any risk of one train interfering with, or getting en- tangled with another. A good and efficient net ought to be 60 yardf long on the back rope, by 14 yards deep; and a good and proper train should contain 26 of these nets, hanging in suc- cession from the back rope, thus containing altogether 18,200 square yards, stretching over a line of sea of 1800 yards in length. The swing or net rope should be about 120 yards long, so that the whole length of nets and line may stretch along 1420 yards of sea, or about four-fifths of a mile. These nets should be properly tanned; and if done with the drug called catechu^ or terra japon- tea, it will be found much better than oak-bark; but care must be taken when using it, not to overdo the process, otherwise the meshes may become contracted, and too much hardened. Sir William Burnet's patent likewise has been found extremely good* for the preservation of nets. And farther, whilst on the subject of nets, it may be well that fishermen should know that Messrs. Jamieson of Kilbirnic, and Mr. Paterson at Musselburgh, have manufactured a particular description of small twine for nets, which, whilst it is equally strong with the common net, is much less easily seen by the fish in the water, and has consequently been found by experiments made by orders of the Board, to be much more successful than the ordinary nets. The train of nets having been carefully and regularly coiled up in the boat, should, on arriving at the fishing ground, be gradually shot out with equal care and attention, and then the boat lies with the train attached to it. After the train shall have remained in the water for such a length of time as may appear necessary for al- lowing the herrings to mesli, during which time the nets must have been occasionally pulled up a little and examined, so that when no likelihood of herrings may appear, the nets may be hauled, the ground shifted, and the nets shot elsewhere, and when it is found that the herrings have mushed, the train must be care- fully and not too rapidly hauled up. And now comes a part of the fishing process which demands the moBt serious attention from the fishermen,, aa the future value of the fish may bo immensely deteriorated if this part of these instructions be m^glected.. The- 8 If ' 1 11 : J xvholfl of the fish should l)e cnrefiilly simken out from ench iucceM« Mivo piirt of thn not ns it \^ taken into the bout. If this is not done, tho herrings nre Hublo to bo much jerked about with every pull that the net receives wliilst in the boat, and ho they nre stripped of their scales, nre bruii^ed, torn, nnd broken, und become soO, and more or less tainted, and conHC(|nently thoy .iro thus, even before cure, rendered to a great ext"nt unmnrketnblc; whilst herrings im- mediately shnken from iho net in tho manner here enjoined, being alive nt the time, full easily from tho mcshcii into the bottom of the bout, whero they remain in a beautiful state, with every scale adhering to thom, nnd continue firm and uninjured until the boat roaches the beach, where they are innnediatuly and promptly de- livered. To socuro attention to this most important matter, fish- curers, in contracting with tiHhermeii, should make an arrange- ment that nil lierringH brought to the shore in tho nets should bo paid for at a reduced price; and no iudulgiMicc .sliould bo allowed as to this rule, unless in cases where stormy weather m ly havis rendered it impossible for tho iii^hormen to shako tho herrings out of the nets whilst hauling. It bocomi^s tlu; more essential to im- presH all \\m the tnoro strongly both on fishermen and curers, that the plan of shaking out tho herrings from the nets as they nro , iiaiiletl is but too seldom followed, and this in defiance of all the means which tlio Board of Fislierierj has taken to get the proper practice pursued, its Couiini.^siotiers having, so far back ns the 22d June, 1816, issued, through its secretary, an order to its olHcers to do all in their power to promote tho adoption of this most im- portant practice; but notwithstanding all the exertions of tho otiicerH, it is still very universally neglected. It is earnestly hoped, however, that the li.«»h curers, to whom a mode of correcting tho ifvW b I ^ been pointed out as existing in their own hands, will now serioiKsiy heslir themselves to put an end to the practice of allowing the herrings to be b. ought ashore in tho nets, which so much de- stroys iheni cvnn before a single step is taken in tho process of cure. Another precaution would ha highly valuable if it could bo adopted. If a pi CO of n old sail were fitted so as to cover tho space from the mainmast of tho boat to tho pump, the moment after the Her- rings were shaken into it from the nets, and mado fast over each gunnel, so as not to interfere with the management of the boat I m 9 •titliur ill Huiling or rowing, tliu ^a\\ would bo kept front iill ri^U of HuAoring froiii liio sni), iukI if a boat-hook or boom wcru placed foru mid iil\ uiidur it, tlicy would bo protected botli from ruin nnd uuu vvuter until rundy for lit^livery. Tliuse preeautiona would not only prcsnrvo the liah in prime condition till tho curing process hIiouUI commence, hut tho bout^s crow would fnid their ni^count in attending to them, from the great Having of time and labour which would thuij bo stMuired to thutn on their landing. Thuii a crew wiM':h might reach tho nhore at 8ix o'cU.v:k, a. m., :vith u large tako of hc>rringr4, having; thiMr nets all shal^en, and tho fish ready for immcdiato removal, might land, spread thoir nets, or hang them on tho drying poles, and, in ordinary circiiin<'tancoa, they might liivo their fwli delivered by ten o'clock, get themselvoH wuslind, and tako (heir victuals, and tlion go to bed p.ud ;^>lcep <;omfortnbly for four or livo hours, after which they wool J have ample time t > mend their nets, and to carry thcin down to tho bort, go as to bo ready to proceed to tho fisheiy, full of ih.il atr;inglh, vigour, ;\tid energy necessary to prosecute it succossfully, whilst other tishermen, on the contrary, who have had similar success, but who may have hauled their nets •vithout shaking the tiili out vS them, have all this to do after reaching the harbour, and that with much ditliculty, for it is often found to bo so impossi- ble to draw the n(!ls from under the fish, that tlioso on the top rc- juiro to bo shovelled to another part of tho boat, or landed, before all the net? can be got out, tho elfects of all which on fish caught •luritig tho hotter months may be easily inutginecl. Hut as regards tho tishf'rtnfii themselves, from all these dilliculties, the tlay is fur spent before tho tish are delivered, and the nets all spread out or hun^ up, sD tliat before they have reacheil home, washed and had food, there is no time left for sleep, or for mending their nets, and tho preparation for the ensuinj^ night's fishery is begun without be- fitting energy. Such crews, too, often arrive so late at the fishing ground from these f^auses,that they cannot easily find a clear berth to shoot their nets in ; and when they do obtain it, no sooner arc the nets fairly (»ut of tho boat than the men are asleep, or at all events ihoy art! so fitigued from want of rest, that they have not courage to haul their nets, so as to change their ground if necesaary, and to take a second -shot, and therefore, they tbns too often return dis- appointed. Id ii ; J .' When the Herrings are landed from the boat, they ought to be measured by *he legal Cran measure, and not counted, unless the quantity taken be so small as not to fill a Cran measure. Aa it is for the interest of both fishermen and fish-cnrers that the Cran measure should be used, as it afTords the truest and justest mode of dealing both for buyer and seller, every one should unite in putting an end to the practice of reckoning the fish by numbers, as the law in, that nothing is to be used but the Cran measure, having the Brand of the Board of Fisheries on it. l!!f HI ill ■ V ii Hi FISHCURERS. If Fish-Curers have the desire they ought to have, to compel the men who fish for them to handle the Herrings with proper care from the time of their capture to that of their delivery, they should certainly do their best to set them a good example, by seeing that every thing is dune in their own department strictly as it should be. If they leave their Herrings after delivery in the curing-boxes, ex- posed to the sun or rain, it is not very likely that they will haver appearance of the fish. For this purpose, salt should be sprinkled over them as they are emptied in successive portions from the Cran measure into the receiving or gutting-box. All Herrings should bo gutted, cured, and packed, on the day they are caught. If this cannot be accomplished, they ought not to h: cured as gut- ted Herrings. They may, however^be cured as uh^utted Herrings, or made into red Herrings. ) rr GUTTERS. Gutting, and packing also, should commence immediately after the first cran is delivered; but this practice is too much neglected ^ particularly on da^s when the fishing has been partial, or when the state of the tide may have occasioned an irregular delivery . Al- though a number of Gutters are in attendance, they do not begin until such a quantity of fish is delivered as will give constant em- ployment to all. Thus unnecessary delay, exposure, and deterior- ation of the fish take place ; all which might be obviated on snch days, and the parties satisfied, by dividing the payment, for the whole number of barrels gutted and packed, equally among all. A most important matter is, to see that the Herrings are properly picked and assorted into Maties, Full-Fish, and Spent-Fish; and this should be done as the gutting goes on, by having baskets or tubs for each particular sort; and to prevent all after mistake, the barrels into which these several sorts of fish are separately packed, should be immediately, and severally, marked by means of a mark- ing iron, with respective letters, M . F , or S . Great care should be taken by Gutters and Packers to remove all fish which have lost their heads, or which have been broken, bruised, or torn, in the bellies, so that they may be packed separately. Bad gutting, and tearing the bellies of the fish, often arises fiom the knives being blunt. To prevent this, the gutting knives should be collected, and delivered to one of the Coopers every evening, who should have the particular duty of seeing them all carefully sharpened on a smooth stone, and returned to the Gutters in the morning. Due attention to this will be likely to produce neater gutting; the bones A'ill be cut and not left exposed; and the fish will not present that ragged appearance which so often disfigurcH them. Whether the fish are gutted for continental sale or for ex- portation out of Europe, the orifice left at the top of the belly of the fish should be as small as possible, and particular attention should be paid that the breast be not lacerated or torn down, so as to leave the bones exposed. The incision with the knife should be made in the throat quite down to the back bo le, and the knife turned round with the hand, and drawn upwards under the breast-fins, and not 12 IH I 1- - t; i ilownwards along the belly of the fish, otherwise the orifice will be made too large, and the roc or inilt will bo exposed. The fiah must be cleared, not only of the gut, but of the liver, stomach, and gills, which lust, being full of blood, is known to taint the fish in a short time after it is killed; and the incision of the knife should be made down to the back bone, so as to allow the blood to flow freely from the great blood-veasel of the fish, which will tend much to the after preservation of the Herr!;ig. In order to understand the Dutch manner of gutting Herrings, wo must suppose that the fish is held in the hollow of the left hand, with its belly uppermost, and the bead and shoulders projecting about an inch before the fore-finger and thumb; that the gutting- knife is held in the right hand, with the fore-finger and thumb grasping the blade to within an inch or so of the point; let the knife then be phmged into the throat of the fish at the side next the right hand, and thrust down so as to touch the back-bone, and so forced through to the other side, with the point a little projecting there- from, and let the fore-finger then be turned over the head of the fi?h, and placed under the point of the knife, and the flat part of the thumb laid on the breast-fins or gip of the fish, and pressed on the broad part of the knife; the entrails are then to be gently start- ed, the gut and gip seized between the knuckles of the fyre and middle-fingers, and a sudden pull given, by which means the crown-gut, anatomically called the Plyoric appendages, will be left hanging from the body of the fish, while the gills, fore-fins, heart, liver, &c., will fall into the hollow of the hand. This is what is understood to be the mode of gutting practised by the Dutch, in whif'h it is necessary to ohpfMv.?, t!mt only one pull is required to bring away every thing tlvU they consider to be necessary, when the operation has been pei Toriiiftd in a proper manner. In the liritish method, I he only difference is, that a second, and sometimes even a third and fourth pull are necessary, because the whole of the intestines, including thi; crown gut, are extracted. It will thus be found, that the breast or belly of the fish is most frequently la- cerated in the act of removing these parts of the entrails, owing to the Gutters making the pull downwards towards the tail of the fish, in'stead of making it upwards towards the head. Curers should therefore give the mo«t particular instractions to their Gutters to at w in: M re 13 make the pull upwards and not downwards, so as to leave the ori- fice as small as possible, and to prevent the breast of the fish from being torn. That mode of gutting by which the crown-gut is left attached, is peculiarly well adapted for the continental mark a email quantity of salt should be scattered in the bottom of each barrel, and the Packer should begin by laying the Herrings into the barrel in regular tiers, each tier being composed of •'ows laid across 'the barrel, taking care to keep the heads of the Herrings at each end of the row, close to the inside of the staves of the barrel, with their tails inward, and making up the deficiency in the middle of each row by laying Herrings in the same line. Care should be taken to scatter salt on the heads. The Head Herrings should then -be placed. These are laid across the heads of the Herrings already forming the tier, and these Herrings should also receive a sprink- ling of salt, which should likewise be thrown into the centre of the tier. The second tier must be packed in the same way, taking care that the Herrings shall be placed directly across those of the first, and so on alternately, the Herrings of each successive tier crossing those of that below it. A proportion of salt should be dis- tributed over each tier, St. Ubc*s or Lisbon salt being always pre- ferred for this purpose. When the barrel is completed, a little additional salt should be put on the top tier. Herrings intended for the Continent should be packed on their backs; but for the Irish market they are preferred when packed Hiit, or more on their sides. The fish in each barrel should be all of the same kind and quality throughout. The nefarious practice of pa(fking inferior Herrings in the middle of the barrel, or superior Herrings at the top is always discovered, sooner or later, to the confusion and loss of character of the Curer. The barrels should be filled above the chime of the cask, in which state they are allowed to stand till the ^following day, or even longer, when by the pining or shrinking of 15 the HtrriDgs from the eft'ects of the sah, they fall down to much in the barrel, that it requires to be filled up. The moment the bar- fels are packed, they should be properly covered over, to prevent thesun'H rays or ruin penetrating the fiah. All vessels which go to cure on open beaches or shores should be provided with old sailti, or some other such covering, to protect the fish from the sun and rain; for if spread on the beach without any such protection, they will infallibly be spoiled. ■ I COOPERS. It is the duty of the Cooper to see that all his -barrels are pro- perly made, and of the legal size. It is of the greatest importance that he should ascertain whether they are sufficiently tight for con- taining the original pickle, because there is no after remedy for the evil effects produced in the fish by ite escape. Barrels should be constructed «f well-seasoned wood, and be made tight in the bot- toms and seams, and croze, by introducing the broad-leaved water plant called Ihe sedge or flag, which would tend to secure the ori- ginal pickle under all circumstances. During (he period of the curing, the Cooper's first employment in the nwrning should be to examine every barrel packed on the previous day, in order to dis- cover if any of them have lost the pickle, so that he may have all such barrels immediately repacked, salted, and pickled. A very common practice is to pour pickle repeatedly into barrels of the previous day's packing, which have thus run dry, without having in the first place, secured the leak ; and then afterwards to use the Herrings of such dried barrels for filling up such barrels of Herrings as are well cured and tight. This is a practice which should never be allowed, as the distribution of these dry, and consequently bad lierrings, amongst the Herrings of a number of otherwise well cared barrels has a tendency to destroy the whole. As already -stated the Cooper in charge should s^e that the Gut- .ters are furnished every morning with sharp knives. He should be careful to strew salt among the Herrings as they are turned into .the gutting boxes — give a general but strict attention to the Gut- ters, in order to insure that they do their work properly — see that ihe Herrings are properly sorted, and that all the broken alid io- IG i ! ' jurud fi»\\ are removed — tuke care that the fish are sufficiently and ofTectually ronacd. Then he should see that every barrel is sea- soned with water, and the hoops properly driven before they ore given to the Packers. He should likewise keep his eyes over the Packers, to see that the tiers of Herrings are regularly laid and salt- ed, and that a cover is placed on every barrel immediately after it has been completely packed. The Cooper should write with red keel or black coal the name of the Packer on the bottom or quar- ter of each barrel as it is delivered, together with the date of pack- ing, and the letter M, or F, or S, for Mixed, Full, or Spent Fish, as the case may be. Where this excellent regulation is practised, it is found to be a check to bad or imperfect selection, as well ns to bad gutting and irregular salting; and it prevents the different de- scriptions of Herrings from being packed up together, when the barrels are unheaded in order to bo filled up, or foi' being bung packed. After the Herrings have been allowed one, two, or at most, three days to pine, the barrels should be filled up with Elerrings of the same date as to capture and cure, and of thp same description as those which they contain, care being taken not to pour off much pickle, or unduly to press the fish. The barrels should then be headed u]» and tightened in liic hoops, and laid on their sides, and this always under cover, so as to be shaded from the sun's rays, which are seriously injurious to the fish; and they should be rolled half over every second or third day, until they are bung packed, tvhicb part of the process of cure should be performed within fif- teen days from the date of the capture of the Herrings; and not sooner than that period, if it be the object of the Curer to obtain the Official Brand of the Board of British Fisheries at bung pack- ing. When the pickle has been sufficiently poured off, a handful of salt, if required, should be thrown around the insides of the bar- rels, and the Herrings should be pressed close to the insides of the casks, and additional fish of the same description and date of cure should be packed in until the barrel is properly filled, after which it should be flagged, headed, blown, and tightened; and the curing marks should be scratched on the side. The barrel may then have its pickle povred in, and be finally bunged up. 17 jrand 9 sea- jy are er the 1 salt- ifter ii th red quar- ' pack- ; Fish, ctiaed , ill us to ent de- en the g bung it, three I of the ption as T much then be les, and I's rays, )e rolled packed, ithin fif- and not obtain ng pack- haniifal the bar- es of the e of cure er which lie curing hen have REPACKING HERRINGS. For the purpose of preserving the fish in warm climates, and in order to enable them to be eA^^orted out of Europe, all Herrings must be repacked; and before the repacking commences, fifieen days must have intervened from the date of their capture and first salting. For this purpose the Herrings must be emptied out of each barrel in which they were originally packed, into a large tub or box, filled with clean fresh water, where they are washed and freed from all glut; after which they are placed in open boskets, to allow the water to escape, and then weighed, when 224 lbs. of fish are allowed to each Packer for every barrel. The fish are then regu- larly repacked into the same barrels, and Liverpool great salt is strewed on each tier as packed, until the barrel is full; the fish are then dunted, that is, the head is jumped upon by the Packer, and when the quantity of fish weighed does not fill the barrel more is added. The barrel is then headed, flagged, and tightened; the quarter of the head end of the barr^.! hooped up, and an iron bind- ing hoop, one inch in breadth, driven on eacbend; the chime hoops arc then nailed, which completes the process of full-binding. Th« barrels are *hen placed in tiers — each bored in the centre of the bulge — filled up with strong pickle made from clean salt-; — and bunged; and they are then ready for inspection, ofiicial branding, and shipment to any place out of Europe. Herrings are called Sea Sticks when they are shipped off soon afler being taken and cured, so as to be first in the market for early consumption, and so to obtain a high' price. When barrels containing Sea Stick Herrings are cured on board of vessels cleared out for the fishery, or shipped to be carried to other stations, if the lower tiers are not carefully stowed, and the barrels well hooped and tightened they are apt to lose the pickle, and if kept for any length of time in this state, they will be found on landing to be gilded and tainted. Sufficient attention and care will prevent this, and if it be properly guarded against, the cure of the Herrings will be improved by the voyage, as they will be free from undue pres- sure, and as they will be found when opened to be well flooded with pickle. Whether the barrels of Herrings are prepared for the Official Brand of the Board of British Fisheries or not, they should 2 16 :;ii ; I be kept constantly full of piokle, and where a leak appears, the barrel should be made tight, or the fish should be taken from it and repacked into a sufficient borrel. Barrels should be roHed half round weekly until shi]Hnent. Herrings must hare been cured for (ifleen days before the Official Brand can be applied for. If the Ciirer wishes to have the Brand, he must give the Officer notice, •tating that it is his intention at such a time and place to have so many barrels of H^nrings branded'—M aties or Full Fish — as the case may be, and as a matter of conrse the Officer attends. In the f)rst place, be sees that the owner's name, with the place where and the year when cured, are branded on the barrel*, all of which •kould be done ftnar to the Officer*^ appearance. The Officer ha- ving taken the required declaration of the Curer, and gauged the barrets, each of which ought to be of a size capable of containmg 32 galk>ns English wine measure, he proceeds to examine the casks •nd Herrings, causing so many thereof to be opened for his inspec- tion, taking out the heads and the bottoms of the alternate barrels reflectively r BO aato satisfy himself that the Herrings are in all parts of the bavrele perfectly what they ought to be, before he pro- ceeds to apply the brand to them. A Cooper should be in constant attendance on board of every vessel during the time Herrings are k>hipping, to replace hoops, chimes, or any other damage the barrels may have sustained by cartage, and to nail the chime hoops, if not previously done. The oiaster of every vessel should be bound to use slings, and not crane hooks for hoisting the barrels on board, and to stow every barrel bung upwards, without the use of a crow-bar. The superiority of Dutch cured Herrings arises chiefly fVom •crupatoiM attention being given to the diffisrent directwns which have been detailed in this Treatise, and in a great degree also to Lisbon or Saint Ube*8 salt only, being used in their cure, as well as to ^ir being packed into oak barrels alone, whilst ours are evred with Liverpool salt, and packed into barrds made of bireh or aiiaofr As it is extremely desireUe, and very iimch for the mterest of fisherraen, and all parties coneerned in the Hernng fisheries, that the practice of taking Herring fry, or undersized Herrings, dwiM %e put ftB end to, each fishennaB should hold it to be his duty te ¥ ■* inl 19 aid tb« Board of British Fisherioi ia itopping it It is chieflj under the pretence of taking Sprats or Garviea that this destractive prac^ tice is pursued. It is therefore important that the distinguishing marks of the Young Herring, and the Garvie or Sprat, shouki be so generally known as to be rendered familiar to all. These have been described by Afr. James Wilson of Woodville, the well known naturalist, in a communication made to the Secretary of the Board , from which the following is extracted :--^ -" Ut. The first character to which I woukl direct your attention^ is one which is so distinguishable by touch as well as sight, that ii would be quite easy by means of it to divide into two separate por- tions the largest and most intermingled mass of these fishes, even in total darkness. I refer to the jagged or spiney edging which prevails along the lower outline of the Sprat or Garvie, almost all the way from throut to tail. This character is scarcely at all per- ceptible in the true Herring. It is slightly developed in the fry, but soon disappears. It seems never absent in the Ganrie, but grows with its growth, and presents so stiff a toothing along the abdomi- nal line, tliat if a fish is held not very tightly by the sides between the finger and thumb, and then a finger of the other hand is pressed along that under line from tail to throat, the projections will present «o much resistance that the fish itself will be moved forwards. **2d. The eye of the Herring is proportionally larger than that v>r the Garvie, so that if you place a young Herring beside a Garvie of greater size, its eye will nevertheless be larger than that of the nal salt is necessary, and if lakl in bulk» they should be carefully covered with matting or canvass to ensure cleanliness, and to prevent them from j^etting discoloured. When the fish are to be cured in pickle, they may remain the same time salted in vats, before being repacked into barrels. On removal they should be carefully scrubbed and washed with clean water, andnhe slime well scraped off with a knife from the skin and back fins. The fish may be then repacked ki barrels, with 27 clean nJt, tad prepared for market. Th« number of fish in each barrel should be scratched on the side of it. For curioi; and re- packing for the home market, 84 lbs. of salt per barrel is sufficient; but 112 lbs. will be required for fish intended for exportation. By order of the Honourable the Commissioners, THOMAS DICK LAUDER, Secretary to the Board of British Fisheries*, RoYAi. Institutioic, 26th June, 1845. DIRECTIONS won CURING COD, LING, TUSK, AND HAKE, WET, OR IN HCKLE. This is a mode of curing which produces a valuable article c** merchandize — very useful in household economy, and its wider extension ^becomes a most desirable object in promoting the inter- ests of the British Fisheries. The most approved mode of con- ducting this description of cure is as follows : — The fish having been properly split, sciubbed, and washed, should be salted in large tubs, or square boxes, capable of retaining the pickle, and properly covered from the sun and rain. After being forty-eight hours in salt, they may be washed in clean fresh water, and the skin of each fish must be well scrubbed with a small heather scrubber, or a hand brush, which is sometimes used for the purpose. Having been perfectly cleared of slime, and well rinsed in cold water, they are laid in a heap and allowed to drip, and are then repacked into barrels with clean salt. In performing 28 tliis process, the skin side of the 6sh is kept next to the bottom of the barrel, nnd they are regalarly packed up with a proper quan- tity of aalt on each layer, keeping them as flat as possible, and close to the sides of the barrel. The fish should be collected, and assorted into three or four sizes, and each size should be packed i n different barrels. If the fish have been firmly packed, and the barrels allowed to stand on end one night properly covered before being tightened, it will not be necessary to jump upon them. The uppermost or top fish in the barrel is then placed with the skin upwards, and salt is strewed on it. The barrels must then be flagged and tightened, — laid down — tiered — bored on the side — and filled up with pickle, which should always be made from clean salt, and it should be skimmed when necessary, as any impurity in the pickle injures the whiteness of the fish. Tiie number and kind of fish contained in each barrel must then be scratched on the side, with the date of repacking, and if the casks and fish are found on inspection to be in all respects agreeable to law, nnd to the Board's regulations, the barrels may then be officially branded. By Order of the Hooon rable the Commissioners. _ THOMAS DICK LAUDER. Rayax. Institcttiok, « 36^ June, 184«. «■■ Secretary Board of Fiiheriet. * r . .i > -.^^ '■■; (.