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8
The Business of a Fish Curer.
The total number of fish-curing premises in the County of London probably amounts to 550 ;
of these 504 were visited by the inspectors. This latter number included 52 where a wholesale
trade was carried on, and 155 with a fried fish shop attached; in the remainder the ordinary business
of a retail fishmonger was generally carried on Very little curing was carried on at the fried fish
premises, and information went to show that for some years past the curing part of the business
had been declining. The general tendency seemed to be for fish to be increasingly cured at the
fishing ports by firms making a speciality of the business, and for less fish to be cured in London
by the retailer.
The herring appears to be the principal kind of fish cured in London. It is a food which,
after curing by " bloatering," is largely patronised by all sections of the working class, and to some
extent by the middle class. It is a very common sight to see "bloaters" exposed in the windows
of cheap coffee and dining-rooms throughout the county; and it is a general practice to grill or
cook the bloaters before they are gutted. Next in importance to the herring is the haddock.
For some years past the price of this fish has gradually increased, so that the poorer section of the
population are unable to profitably use it to the extent to which they formerly did. Owing to the
intensity of modern fishing, the size of the fish has decreased in comparison to the quantity
caught, with the result that large quantities of immature fish ("chats") are now put on the
market; these fish are practically unfit for curing, and are chiefly bought by fish fryers. In
addition to herrings and haddocks the inspectors' reports make mention of the curing in exceptional
instances of mackerel, cods' roe, salmon, and sprats.
The herring is cured in London in two ways, by canning and by bloatering. No investigations
were made into the canning trade. Bloaters are ungutted herrings, which may or may not have
been "sprinkled" or salted previous to their arrival at the curing place. The fish for the wholesale
trade are usually brought from the market or railway before noon. In the curing places are long
shallow wooden vats, in which the fish are rubbed with coarse salt, which removes the mucous and
scales; they are then washed and soaked in brine tubs and afterwards "speeted"—i.e. transfixed on
sticks and put to drain on racks. After draining, and drying to some extent, they are placed in the
smoke-holes, and the fire or smoke is started between 7 and 8 in the evening. The fire is regulated
from time to time, and about three in the morning the traps and ventilators are thrown open, and
afterwards the doors, to permit of the fish being properly cooled; the fish are then packed in
boxes and marketed at Billingsgate or elsewhere the same morning. The fire and smoke is made
with pine, elm, and oak sawdust; and in large smoke-holes dry oak, beach, and hornbeam wood logs
are burnt with sawdust.
Small retail shops usually cure two or three times a week, and owing to the small quantity
required, and the small size of the smoke-hole, only sawdust is used for the smoking. In a small
number of instances the herrings are merely "wind" or air-dried in the shop windows, or in open
sheds or buildings in the rear of shops. It has been said that some street costers cure herrings by
air-drying in their living or sleeping-rooms, but no single instance of this was actually found ;
in one instance, however, curing was being carried on in a horse stable at Hackney Wick.
In Scotland and the North of England the fish are pickled in brine from 12 to 20 hours, and
then smoked for about the same time. These bloaters, however, do not suit the taste of the London
consumer.
In the process of haddock curing, the first thing is to head, gut, and split the fish; the bellies
are washed, the blood, the sound, and the black belly skin being removed. After washing, they
are more or less salted, according to the curer's requirements; they are then "speeted" and hung
in the smoke hole, and cured in a somewhat similar way to bloaters. The haddock curer uses
smoke holes smaller in area than the herring curer, and more draught is allowed ; more moisture
is given off from the haddock, and it is important that this should be carried off to prevent the fish
"dropping." The fish is hung well up away from the fire, and this causes the "pickle" to become
fixed, and gives the fish a bright appearance. London cured haddocks are noted for quality in
the market.
Curing places.—In 10 per cent. of the places the gutting and cleansing is done in open back
yards, often defectively paved, and in 60 per cent. in temporary wooden shelters or sheds, not fitted
with impervious surfaces, and in some cases totally unsuitable for the conduct of the business. In
3 cases basements, in 16 cases stables, or places in aerial communication with stables, were used;
in 28 cases a w.c. was inside, or was in aerial communication with the curing place; in 3 cases
fowls or other animals were kept; and at one wholesale place no less than 5 cats were kept on the
premises. There were 102 instances of defective floors; 2 instances of unpaved floors; 297
instances in which the walls were not provided with impervious smooth surfaces; and 16 instances in
which the light was very insufficient. Where the walls were unprovided with impervious smooth
surfaces, they were generally caked or splashed with decomposing fish scales and filth. The
gutting benches were generally constructed of wood, absorbing filthy liquids, and so giving rise to
nuisance. In a large number of instances there was a general want of cleanliness and supervision.
Smoke-holes or kilns.—In 237 curing places in the Eastern district, there were 606
smoke-holes or kilns, an average of 2.97; taking an average of 2 only for the whole county,
there are probably over 1,000 smoke-holes in London. Sixty-three smoke-holes were constructed of
wood, 359 were a combination of wood and brick (usually a back or side wall of brick), and the