Curing and Canning of Fishery Products: a History

its origin to the fish curing industry. The early colonists in New England and the Maritime Provinces would not Curing and Canning of have been able to survive without the salt cod and smoked herring they could Fishery Products: A History prepare, for soil was poor and the cli mate uncertain. While fish meant food to the early colonists, cured fish soon N. D. JARVIS became their capital resource and their stock in trade for the purchase of sup plies. Their most abundant fish, Atlan Introduction way. The smoked herring of England tic cod, could be manufactured into a was traded throughout central Europe. durable protein food product, withstand Fish curing comprises all methods of Even in the sixteenth century, when ing the primitive shipping and storage preservation except refrigeration and can England was fighting Spain, her trade conditions of the day, and was compar ning. It includes 1) the drying, smok in dried fish with Spain was continued. atively low in price. Other cured fish ing, salting, and pickling of fish, 2) vari It has been reported that England gained such as smoked halibut and herring, ous combinations of these methods, and more wealth from cured fish products pickled sturgeon, and salt salmon were 3) miscellaneous methods such as the in the sixteenth century than Spain ob soon being shipped abroad. Out of this use of vinegar and fermentation pro tained in gold from the Americas. grew the "triangular trade": Salt fish to cesses or ripening. Despite the importance of fish curing Europe, manufactured goods from The drying and smoking of fish are since prehistoric times, information on Europe to the West Indies, and sugar, ancient processes. Archaeologists and methods of the industry is scattered and rum, and molasses to New England. anthropologists tell us that drying and exact data are lacking. Great interest has The trade in salt fish stimulated other smoking were probably developed short been exhibited in fish curing, as it does industries and capital was gradually ac ly after the discovery of fire and before not require the equipnlent or capital cumulated so that the colonists could go man learned to make pictographs on needed for canning or freezing. An in into shipping. Later, other natural re rocks. The art of salting is also very old, dividual with a little capital may dry, sources such as tirrlber were exploited, going back to the Stone Age. The use salt, or smoke fish, using only home and the first attempts were made to of vinegar and spices goes back, at least, made equipment. Species of fish may be create other local manufactures. The to the Greeks and Romans (Radcliffe, utilized that are not suitable for canning. importance of fish curing in the develop 1921; Smidth, 1873). Localities not adaptable to the operation ment of trade and industry in early New Fish curing has been an important of canning or freezing plants may be England is discussed at some length by factor in the developnlent of all great used for fish curing. Dried and salt fish Ackerman (1941), who describes how maritime nations. From the Middle Ages are not only good sources of protein but various New England industries owe until well into the nineteenth century may be produced at a lower cost than their origin to the foreign trade in cured agricultural methods were poor. Live other animal protein foods. fish. stock were wintered with difficulty, and The fish curing industry continued to meat curing methods were so poor that Fish Curing Importance grow and prosper, dominating the eco there was little meat during the winter; in the History nomic life of the New England colonies also, other protein foods were scarce. of the United States in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The Canning and freezing had not yet been French government was also concerned. developed. The people needed a fairly Atlantic Coast It was attempting to expand the fisher low-priced protein food which would re The fish curing industry of the ies in the northwestern Atlantic in order main in good condition for some time. North Atlantic coast of North America to build up a large fish curing industry Dried, salted, and smoked fish supplied dates back at least to the year 1500. in its colony in Canada. Both the British this need. There are authentic records of fish cur and French attempted to dominate as Before the beginning of the industrial ing activities as of that period, and much of the North American fishing age, international commerce was largely legends of activities at much earlier grounds as possible, to secure the trade in natural products. The wine of Spain date. An extensive fish curing industry in salted and dried fish for themselves. was exchanged for the dried and salt fish along the North Atlantic coast of North Attempts were made to establish bound of England, the Netherlands, and Nor- America was carried on for more than aries, but they were poorly defined, so Norman D. Jarvis was Technologist, Division of 100 years before there was any perma that the fishing rights over a wide area Fishery Industries, Fish and Wildlife Service, Seat nent settlement. As early as the year were the cause of frequent bickering, tIe, Wash., and this article is excerpted from his 1580 more than 300 ships from Europe sometimes flaring up into undeclared FWS Research Reports 18 and 7 (1950 and 1943, respectively) on the curing and canning of fishery were salting cod in this area. Newfound warfare. Indeed, the series of wars be products. land, "the oldest British colony," owes tween France and England were in part 180 Marine Fisheries Review due to disputes over fishing grounds and At the end of the War of 1812 the 1930's, Japan invaded fishing grounds fish curing locations. The fishermen and British claimed that the war abrogated off the coast of Alaska, and interferred fish curers of New England and Nova the treaty of 1783. The United States with our vessels which were catching Scotia played an important part in Eng claimed that this treaty was still valid. and salting cod. The cod fishermen land's conquest of Canada, for to them Seizures of American fishing vessels threatened to shoot any Japanese ob the fishing rights meant life or death. were made and it seemed for a time that structing their operations. Japanese fish The disputes did not end with the a new war might break out. Tension was ing was a matter of great concern to the ousting of France from Canada, but eased by the signing of a new fishery Pacific Coast fisherman, but little notice continued with the New England col convention in 1818. It was followed, was taken nationally until it was proved onists on the one hand, and the English however, by a whole series of disputes that the Japanese were catching salmon on the other. Parliament passed a bill in on interpretation, at times resulting in despite an undertaking to the contrary. 1775 which prohibited the New England severe diplomatic tension. The rights in The controversy was still unsettled when colonies from trading directly with for volved in our fish curing industry in the Japan went to war with the United eign countries and prevented New Eng northeastern Atlantic off the coasts of States. The fishery dispute may be re land vessels from fishing on the banks Canada and Newfoundland were prob garded as a contributory, though minor, of Newfoundland, in the Gulf of St. ably the most important single cause of cause leading to war with Japan. Lawrence, and on the coasts of Labra disagreement during most of the nine Cured fish of various types were the dor and Nova Scotia where they had teenth century between the United States first manufactured products prepared on been accustomed to go. This meant ruin on the one hand, and Great Britain, with the Pacific coast. The Indians had a con to the New England fish curing indus the Dominion of Canada, on the other. siderable dried-salmon industry at The try, and the edict was one of the lead Trouble occurred less frequently and Dalles, on the Columbia River, long ing causes of bringing the New England with less intensity in the last decades of before the coming of the white man. The colonies into the Revolutionary War. the 19th century, as refrigeration devel fish were traded to the plains tribes of The treaty of peace negotiated in 1783 oped and a wider market was created in the interior. According to Cobb (1930) was delayed by the insistence of the the United States for fresh fish, making the Russians operated a commercial salt American delegates on securing favor salting and drying of fish on the north salmon industry in Alaska at the begin able fishery rights. They regarded these eastern coast less important. It was also ning of the 19th century. Salt salmon so important that they refused to sign a possible to conduct all operations at sea was shipped as far as St. Petersburg. general treaty of peace, leaving the fish away from the coast. While the feeling Soon afterward the Northwest Fur Com ing rights for later adjudication. The was not so intense, the points of differ pany started a salmon salting business British proposed to exclude the New ence in interpretation of the Convention on the Columbia River. The Northwest England fish curing industry from of 1818 remained unsettled, and it was Company merged with the Hudson's grounds and areas where New England decided to submit the points at issue to Bay Company which shipped salt salm ers had fished and cured fish extensive arbitration under the Hague Conven on to Hawaii, Australia, China, Japan, ly as colonists.

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