The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-02-19

L ANOA w 1y, IAC COuuI1y WulCu lbs always
been noted for its enormous herring
output. Indeed the time may soon ar
rive when Norway will find Alaska q
rival worthy Of her mettle, since the
Alaskan length of coastline warrants
the assumption that the herring
abounds there in greater degree than
in the Scandinavian waters. One
writer prophesies the day when her
ring fishing will be as important as the
salmon industry.
The u. S. Bureau of Fiheries has
been behind an interesting movement
to awaken fishermen to the possibili
ties Of the herring catch. Instructions
how to pickle and smoke fish are fur.
nished free, and drive has been on
for the last five years to acquaint men
with the possibilities of extension and
growth that had been opened up by
the hostilities of war. The demand for
herring hitherto had been supplied by
foreign countries, but with the estab-
lishment of the blockade the importa.
ton was largely stopped. The oppor.
tunity for Amreica to develop her own
resources and supply her own needs
was recognized by the bureau and that
its work has been effective is proven
by the last official statement that the
output of 1917 was double that Of 1916
and eight times that of 1914.
The activities of the bureau are
also based upon knowledge that the
herring is a cheap and nutritious food.
No fish is more tender, in fact, one
Of the difficulties of picking and cur
ing it lies in this very tenderness.
After much sailing and picking only
is the flesh hardened enough to per-
NIT Of the handling that is necessary
before It can be packed.
To aid the development of the indus
try, the bureau has published instruc-
lions In the proper methods of treat.
ing the fish, either according to the
Scotch cure method or the smoking
process. A brief resume of the differ.
ent methods are flluminative and shed
light upon different steps that our
breakfast behring's have undergone be-
fore they reached the garnished plat
ter. To begin:
The fish move in its great shoals
and their movement tbs indicated by
the presence Of gulls and other sea
birds that prey upon them. A boat is
sent out with purse seine Of IL to q
inch mesh, and the fish in such a catch
vary between six to ten inches in
length. They are next bailed out Of
the boat and taken to the cannery,
where they are sprinkled with salt
that the flesh may be hardened enough
to permit Of handling. This process
is commonly known as "rousing.'
They next are Quilted at long table
devoted to this process. The workers
put their knives to the heads, give a
sharp turn and the fish are both de-
capitated and Invested of their entrails.
After the gibbing, the behring's are
sorted according to size, then con.
veyed to the farland, huge vat where.
IN the fish are treated with more salt,
They are then packed in barrels that
are filled to the heigth of six or eight
inches above the chimb of tn ebarrel
During the next twenty-four hours the
fish is making its own pickle from the
salt that had been sprinkled between
each layer. BY the end Of a day and
a night the brine has acted upon the
fish to bring them down to the level
OF the climb. The head of the barrel
is next put on and the fish Is put IL
storage for about ten days, during
which the picking process is finished
The barrels are taken out, the bune
hole opened and the pickle allowed to
run out to the level of the hole, the
liquid being carefully saved. In this
interim the fish have shrunk four OF
five layers and the barrels must be
filled to the top with fish of the same
packing. Then the bung hole is
plugged and the pickle is again poured
in through the top, the head put on
and herring that has been Scotch
cured is ready for shipping.
| Fish that is to be kippered must
necessarily be of smaller size to fit the
one pound can in which they are Gus
tomarily packed, this meaning that the
fish will average length Of five or
six inches. They undergo the same
process Of hardening with salt that is
given in the Scotch cure. After the
rousing they are decapitated and
gibbed. Usually the Ground Ripper
method is followed (that which was
described before) though sometimes
the fish is split down the center and
cleaned. After being thoroughly
washed they are left in pickle for one
and half to two hours, then sent to
the part OF the plant where they are
put on sticks, preparatory to going tC
l the smoke house. In trays that con
tain about twenty sticks they are con
tain about twenty sticks they are con
Iveyed to the house, placed in tiers one
above the other, until all the com
partments are filled. The process
they next undergo, the combination o.
neat and smoke, is commonly known
las k1ppering. A night in the smoke
mouse is followed by the business O,
packing them in the regulation oval