Foods, their selection and preparation

Some two thirds of the catch is marketed as human food, and one third goes into indus¬ trial uses. The portion used for human con¬ sumption was almost equally divided between canned fish and fresh and frozen fish. Only a relatively small amount of cured fish is produced. (See page 243.) In 1947-1948 the salmon pack was still below that of the prewar years. This was somewhat compen¬ sated for by a record pack of tuna. The catch of the California pilchard (sardine) re¬ mained low. On the other hand, the 1948 pack of the Maine sardine was the largest in history. THE FISHING INDUSTRY Fish are very perishable and deteriorate rapidly after removal from water. Distribu¬ tion of fresh fish was limited, in early days, to areas near the water. Supplies of most fish were seasonal. To meet this situation this industry has developed methods of pres¬ ervation which make it possible to store fish for out-of-season use and to ship them long distances, thus widening their market. Now this industry ships fish, fresh, frozen, canned, salted, and dried, to all parts of the country, and exports canned and dried fish to many other countries. Dried and Salt Fish. Drying and salting were first developed on a local scale, es¬ pecially in the New England areas, adjacent to the waters in which the cod abound. The New Englanders early developed salt cod for their own use. As trade developed with the West Indies, they exchanged the dried fish for sugar and molasses. In this way, they used a local product as cargo when their ships went out to bring back needed supplies from the tropics. It is surprising to find that even now the inhabitants of those sea-bathed islands of the West Indies use dried and salted fish from other waters. But New England did not ship it all. Codfish signs still dot the New England landscape and salt cod, creamed or in balls, is a traditional Sun¬ day-morning breakfast in many New Eng¬ land homes. [242] POUNDS PER CAPITA (EDIBLE BASIS) *Excludes canned food products containing small quantities of fish; for example, clam chowder, clam broth, and codfish-cake material. fExcludes partially processed products which may subsequently be reported as a final product, either as canned or cured fish. Civilian Per Capita Consumption of Commercial Fishery Products, United States, 1930-1947 • Includes fin fish and shellfish landed by commercial fishermen; excludes game and sports fish caught by individuals Canned Fish. As canning developed, it too was used to put the abundant fish sup¬ plies of one area at the service of another. Again New England took leadership, canning the clams abundant in New England waters. Canned oysters carried the distinctive flavor of that shellfish from the South Atlantic coast to the inland areas of the rural South. While a far cry from the fresh variety, the canned product helped to get local surpluses to other areas in a safe and acceptable form at a time when fresh oysters were only known at places close to the coast. Salmon, both a seasonal and a local fish, is now available in canned form at all seasons, the country over. Canning not only has supplied a means of marketing a surplus crop, but also has provided a nutritious and rea¬ sonably priced food in widely separated areas.