PREFACE
This volume is a direct sequel to V o l u m e I I I . T h e chapters in these two volumes of the comprehensive treatise " F i s h as F o o d " cover the general areas of handling a n d processing of a q u a t i c c a t c h e s . W i t h the vastly increased attention currently b e i n g given to utilizing efficiently the resources of the sea they should b e particularly valuable.
F a r too little recognition has b e e n a c c o r d e d fish a n d shellfish utiliza
tion within the b r o a d field o f food science. Only recently h a v e they started b e i n g gradually incorporated into this wider discipline. Reports on m u c h of the progress on fish handling a n d processing have therefore appeared in trade publications or h a v e b e e n scattered throughout scien
tific journals of related fields such as chemistry, microbiology, refrigera
tion, or marine science. Since the trade publications ordinarily were not indexed or abstracted b y existing documentation services, a detailed search b y b o t h the contributors a n d the editor was necessary. M a n y such papers were not generally available in major libraries of the U n i t e d States.
B o t h the c h o i c e of contributors to this volume a n d their bibliographies point to another characteristic feature, namely, the international scope of the scientific a n d technical endeavors in this essential area o f fish utilization. T h i s is an outflow not only o f the present focusing of atten
tion on the potentialities of the seas b u t also, in particular, of the revived interest thus c r e a t e d in a b e t t e r utilization a n d processing o f these riches.
This international feature is a constitutive trait of fish a n d shellfish research as such, dating b a c k to the early days of investigative pursuit.
T h i s domain was not the heritage of one nation or any particular part of the world. It was, almost from the start, universal.
T h e amount of literature search a n d documentation work that has gone into these two volumes has b e e n most burdensome, b o t h in t i m e and scope. B u t it is earnestly h o p e d that the c o m b i n e d efforts of the authors a n d the editor in supplying such a m p l e documentation will greatly e n h a n c e t h e value of this study a n d its future usefulness.
Finally, it should b e stressed that there is always great difficulty in drawing a distinct line b e t w e e n scientific a n d technical research on one h a n d and the practical application of such findings on the other. No two experts agree on h o w to define such a boundary. Trends in the industrial development constitute, u n d e r all circumstances, useful b a c k ground information, a n d in this area is intricately interwoven with de
velopmental a n d theoretical findings. T h e e m e r g e n c e o f an impressive processing potential at sea is the o u t c o m e o f such an intimate cooperation b e t w e e n purely scientific results a n d extensive engineering experimenta
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viii P R E F A C E
tion and developments m a d e in ship construction, as well as in newly devised processing equipment.
Volume I of this treatise offered a telling display o f the multiplicity and complexities of the wide assortment of aquatic organisms marshalled to benefit m a n as food. V o l u m e I I exposed in depth the values and hazards, b o t h highly diverse and intricate, in employing these riches as food to m a n a n d animal. T h e last two volumes serve to demonstrate h o w these innumerable data have b e e n molded into a c c e p t a b l e methods of handling and processing—how aquatic resources b e c o m e h u m a n food which is less perishable and more available at all times and at locations far removed from the catching areas. F i s h as food is part of the epic of mankind. Cognizance of the scientific pursuits along this vital frontier is imperative and still m o r e important in our immediate future.
Also in this final volume I wish to thank several colleagues at Michi
gan State University and at other universities in the U n i t e d States and in other parts of t h e world, graduate students, library officials, and several others w h o h a v e in various ways rendered invaluable help in scrutinizing proofs, making suggestions as to additions and deletions, supplementing statistical data, and aiding in extensive bibliographical work. Special credit is due m y long-time collaborator, D r . Clark D . Paris.
Upon termination of this undertaking I feel particularly indebted to the secretaries, library personnel, and typists—far too many to list—who have carried a major and not infrequently most tedious burden. T h e i r dutiful, conscientious, a n d talented contributions have b e e n of inesti
m a b l e value.
East Lansing, Michigan G E O R G B O R G S T R O M
March, 1965
