Marine Products of Commerce

Book excerpt: Excerpt from preface: This book is designed for both the scientific and the practical man. It attempts to give the chemist and biologist a general survey of the fishery industries, pointing out their relative importance, indicating their location, and describing the methods in common use. There has been no attempt to consider all the methods of the fisheries; if this were attempted, a lengthy treatise such as G. Brown Goode's "Fisheries and fishery industries of the United States" would result. By reading this book, the practical man may learn how chemistry and biology are correlated with the fishery industries. Simple language is used throughout. But few technical terms are included and care is taken to define those terms which may not be familiar to the layman. The author hopes that this book may fill the long felt need of the student of industrial biology, for a concise treatise on the fishery industries. These industries have been considered from a scientific viewpoint and, while it is impossible to go into great detail in describing the applications of chemistry, physics, and biology in the preparation and preservation of marine products, the applications are outlined and references to the original literature are given which should serve as a guide for study. In all cases, special consideration is given to American methods and processes. Obviously, it is impossible to treat of the technology of the marine products industries in all parts of the world; however, especially important foreign industries are described. A special effort is made to describe carefully the manufacture and refining of solar sea salt. It is hoped that the information presented will be of value not only to the student of industrial chemistry and the marine industries but also to the salt manufacturer. It is hoped that the book may call attention to the great need for chemical and biological research to solve the numerous problems of the fishery industries. Several of these problems are brought to the attention of the reader in the last chapter.