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DIY. OF FISHER

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FISH and WILDLIFE SERVICE

United States Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.

UNIVERSITY

OF MICHIGAN

AUG 141058

MUSLOS
LIBRARY

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JULY 1958

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COVER: Of approximately 160 species of fish marketed in the United States,
most are suitable in one or more types of diets: low sodium, high protein,
high or low fat, and easily digested. Fishery products, good for anyone, can
be used for variety of flavor and texture in diet-planning for all age groups:
baby, child, teen-ager, young adult, adult, and elderly people. Low in cal-
ories and high in well-balanced protein for growth promotion, fishery prod-
ucts contain a high percentage of the minimum daily requirements of most
vitamins, as well as essential minerals. (See pp. 7-16 of this issue.)

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North Atlantic Fisheries Investigations:
Haddock Samples Collected for Ecological
Studies (M/V Silver Mink)

Life History Studies of Various Species of In-

dustrial Fish and Scallops Initiated (M/V

Jacquelyn)

July 1958

Washington 25, D.C.

Vol. 20, No.7

-A47

120 July. Dic.

FREEZING AND STORING DEEP-SEA LOBSTERS-

SOME TESTS ON COOKED WHOLE LOBSTERS

By Joseph W. Slavin* and John A. Peters**

ABSTRACT

IT WAS FOUND THAT DEEP-SEA LOBSTERS, COOKED ALIVE AND THEN FROZEN IN A
BLAST-AIR FREEZER OR IN AN IMMERSION FREEZER (IN A GLUCOSE-SALT SOLUTION),
COULD BE KEPT SATISFACTORILY IN FROZEN STORAGE FOR 2 TO 4 WEEKS.

BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED FROZEN SHELF LIFE OF THE DEEP-SEA LOBSTER, IT
WOULD NOT BE FEASIBLE TO MARKET FROZEN WHOLE LOBSTERS IN THE NORMAL CHAIN OF
DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE, HOWEVER, TO FREEZE THEM AT SEA AND THEN
DISTRIBUTE THEM TO LOBSTER PRODUCERS OR TO RESTAURANTS WHERE A RAPID TURN-
OVER OCCURS. THE USE OF A BLAST OR IMMERSION FREEZER IS DISCUSSED, AND REC-
OMMENDATIONS ARE GIVEN FOR SELECTING A FREEZING SYSTEM TO HANDLE LOBSTERS ON
A VESSEL.

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91

INTRODUCTION

Because of the problems in keeping deep-sea lobsters alive aboard commercial fishing trawlers, the lobster resource found off the coast of Massachusetts by the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries research vessel Delaware has not been adequately exploited. Accordingly, information on a satisfactory method of preserving lobsters at sea would contribute to

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greater utilization of this fishery.

Keeping deep-sea lobsters alive aboard commercial fishing vessels presents the following problems: (1) the high cost of equipping the vessel with the tanks and pumps necessary to provide the required storage space and sea-water circulation and (2) the high mortality rate of lobsters at certain times of the year in spite of precautions taken to outfit the vessel properly.

Possible solution to these problems would be to freeze the cooked1/ whole lobsters aboard the vessel in either a blast or immersion freezer, since this equipment is well suited for freezing irregularly shaped products and can easily be installed on a fishing vessel. Information on the storage life of cooked, frozen, whole lobsters is also necessary in order to enable industry to decide if it would be feasible to market these lobsters.

**

CHEMIST

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FIG. 1 - LOWERING THE BASKET OF LOBSTERS INTO THE FREEZING SOLUTION.

REFRIGERATION ENGINEER, FISHERY TECHNOLOGICAL LABORATORY, DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND SERVICES, U. S. BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES, EAST BOSTON, MASS. 1/EARLIER TESTS ON FROZEN LOBSTERS (POTTINGER 1950) SHOWED THAT WHEN WHOLE FROZEN UNCOOKED LOBSTERS WERE COOKED, THE MEAT STUCK VERY TIGHTLY TO THE SHELL AND WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. IN THE PRESENT EXPERIMENT, THE LOBSTERS THEREFORE WERE COOKED PRIOR TO FREEZING.

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