Fisheries

FISHERIES. The largest in the USSR are the Volga-Caspian F., especially those located at the mouth of the Volga. In recent years, the Far Eastern F., located on the Pacific Ocean, and the F. on the Amur River have acquired enormous importance. Less significant in size and proportion are the F. located on the Arctic Ocean, in the Azov and Black Seas, etc. Fish are caught in various ways. One of the common and frequent fishing instruments is the seine, the use of which, however, is possible far from everywhere. Fishing with it is carried out in special places, so-called fishing grounds. Such a catch is produced, for example, in the lower reaches of the Volga. For sea fishing of red fish in the Caspian Sea, there are special floating structures, so-called shalands, which are in the sea throughout the fishing period and serve as a base for fishermen who go out to sea in boats and return with fish to the shaland, where it is processed and preserved for some time. The fishermen also live on these shalands. The mentioned factors—the necessity of storing fish, its processing, and the presence of workers living on board—determine the sanitary requirements for the shaland. These include: the availability of clean ice and salt, the cleanliness of premises for processing and storing fish, as well as appropriate equipment for living quarters and other premises (kitchen, bathhouse, drying room for waterproof clothing). On each shaland, there must be a permanent medical worker and a pharmacy for first aid and sanitary supervision. At fishing grounds, special attention should be paid to the living conditions of the fishermen from a sanitary standpoint. Sanitary measures should concern the appropriate equipment of living quarters (availability of beds, a special room for meals). Extremely important from a sanitary point of view is the availability of drying rooms for waterproof clothing, as well as the condition of the clothing itself. Since fishermen working at fishing grounds are in the water during fishing, they are provided with waterproof clothing consisting of a special leather suit and leather boots. If the waterproof clothing is damaged, there is a great danger of cold-related diseases (rheumatism, etc.). Therefore, at fishing grounds, uninterrupted repair of waterproof clothing must be ensured. - At fishing grounds, which are usually at a more or less considerable distance from the fishing site, the organization of food supply for the fishing ground workers is of particular importance. The main issue in this regard is the careful supply of fishing grounds with food products, the organization of kitchens in remote fishing grounds, and the delivery of hot food to fishing grounds located closer to the central fishing site. The most powerful instrument of sea fishing at present, both in the USSR and in Western Europe and America, is the so-called trawl, or as it is commonly called here, trawl. It is a modified seine, towed astern by a steam, motor, or sailing vessel. For trawling, there are special vessels—trawlers. Our new trawlers are true floating factories. They are equipped with necessary equipment for fish processing and utilization of waste: salting facilities, installations for preparing fish meal, etc. Great attention has also been paid to the improvement of their living quarters: separate cabins for the crew for 2-4 people, a dining room, club, bathhouse are arranged. To preserve fish in fresh condition, trawlers are supplied with ice, and for salting fish—with salt. Trawlers intended for bringing fresh fish are at sea for 10-12 days, while those producing salted fish—for 30-40 days.-After the catch, fish is delivered by fishermen to the fishing site in boats, so-called cutters. From a sanitary point of view, it is important to quickly unload the cutters of fish, so-called 'dumping' of fish. In case of delayed unloading, piles of fish form, which in turn slows down its processing and causes spoilage. The second important point is the thorough cleaning and clearing of cutters from fish residues after each unloading, as otherwise they rot and contribute to the spoilage of fish delivered to them at the fishing site. Non-migratory fish is delivered in cutters. Red fish (sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, etc.) is delivered from shalands in larger vessels, so-called fish holds. Here, the proper arrangement of fish in rows (not in heaps) and the maximum reduction of the time fish spends in the holds are of great sanitary importance. Usually, a fishing site consists of a raft, a fish salting warehouse, and an exit. Fish delivered by fishermen is handed over to the raft, which is a wooden platform built on piles, with side walls and a gabled roof. The part of the raft facing the river is left unbuilt, forming an open platform, so-called the raft apron, onto which fishermen dump their fish. From the middle of the apron, an inclined platform to the river, so-called the drag, extends, serving for pulling large fish onto the raft. At some fishing sites, the apron is divided by partitions into a series of boxes into which fishermen 'dump' their fish; the back wall of such boxes is made sliding. Fish accepted on the raft must be immediately subjected to cleaning, washing, and dressing. Fish is poured with cold water from hose pipes of the water supply and is taken to fish cleaning tables, while the roe removed from the fish is transferred to the roe workshop. Maintaining the raft in proper sanitary condition is extremely important both for preserving the proper quality of fish and for the health of the workers themselves. Waste obtained during fish dressing must be immediately removed, as otherwise it will contaminate newly arriving fish. Dressed fish is immediately transferred to other production premises—the fish salting warehouse or 'exit'—in special carts. The fish salting warehouse is usually connected to the raft by wooden walkways. It serves for warm salting, i.e., salting that occurs at external air temperature, in contrast to cold salting, which is carried out in special premises, so-called 'exits', supplied with ice. The simplest fish salting warehouse is a rectangular wooden structure without a ceiling, with a gabled roof; it is illuminated by small windows without glass; two or three wide gates lead into the warehouse. Along the walls of the warehouse, there are vats for salting fish, and the space free from vats serves for so-called fish preparation, i.e., for its washing, sorting, packing into barrels, and sealing. At large fishing sites, a special preparation room is arranged next to the warehouse for these processes. The vats of the warehouse are usually buried in the ground so that fish salting can be carried out at a lower temperature. The floor of the warehouse is made removable and serves as a cover for the vats. From a sanitary point of view, the vats buried in the ground have the disadvantage that they allow groundwater to pass through. Therefore, concrete vats are much more appropriate, which have begun to be built in a number of fishing sites. Near the warehouse, there should be barns for storing salt. At present, it is still customary at some fishing sites to store salt supplies in the open air, which should be prohibited from a sanitary point of view. For cold salting of red fish and herring and for long-term storage of salted fish, so-called 'exits' are used, which are rectangular or square-shaped structures rising 4-5 m above ground level. The vats occupy the central part of the premises and are arranged in rows. To prevent the penetration of groundwater, the vats in 'exits' should not be deepened into the ground, but simply placed on it, filling the space between the vats with earth and nailing it with boards. The vats are covered with boards, which serve as the floor of the 'exit'. The space formed around the vats on the sides and back is lined with thick boards and filled with ice, which serves for cooling the 'exit'. The roof of the 'exit' is covered with earth to prevent heating by sun rays. In the central part of the 'exit', a small corridor is arranged connecting the 'exit' with the salt barns. From a sanitary point of view, it is extremely important that all processes of dressing, cleaning, and washing fish be carried out immediately after accepting fish on the raft to prevent spoilage. The quality of water used for washing fish is very important; the water must meet sanitary requirements and be frequently changed. Fishing sites require large quantities of good quality water, so this issue should be given maximum attention; water pipes should be installed at fishing sites. Maintaining all production premises, production tools, carts, etc. in proper sanitary condition is extremely important for preserving the proper quality of the product. In the matter of sanitary improvement of fishing sites, providing workers with appropriate cultural and living conditions also plays a significant role. These include bathhouses, laundries, and dining rooms. Work at fishing sites goes on all year round, but in particularly increased dimensions in spring (so-called spring fishing season) and in smaller dimensions in autumn (autumn fishing season). Especially in spring, a large number of seasonal workers arrive at fishing sites. Therefore, for the prevention of infectious diseases, the sanitary treatment of seasonal workers arriving at fishing sites is of particular importance, which should be carried out before they are sent to the fishing site: for example, in Astrakhan there is a large sanitary checkpoint with properly equipped bathhouse and disinfection chamber.

All seasonal workers proceeding to F. (Fisheries) located in the Astrakhan region must undergo a medical examination and pass through the sanitary checkpoint in Astrakhan. Seasonal workers are accommodated in barracks during their stay at the F. The basic sanitary requirement for housing (aside from the usual requirements regarding cleanliness) is the prohibition of sleeping platforms and the mandatory requirement to supply barracks with beds. An essential condition must be the presence of special drying rooms near the barracks for drying workers' wet clothing. F. must necessarily have dining facilities to provide workers with hot food. It is also mandatory to have baths with the calculation that each worker can use a bath no less than once every six days, as well as laundries. All F. workers must undergo monthly medical examinations. The aforementioned sanitary requirements are provided for in the mandatory resolution of the People's Commissariat of Health and the People's Commissariat of Labor of the RSFSR of September 5, 1929, 'On the organization and maintenance of fisheries' (published in the official section of the journal 'Questions of Health,' No. 34, 1929, and in the INKT, Nos. 40-41, 1929). The said mandatory resolution provides: sanitary requirements for the fishery territory, the minimum premises that must be available at F. (fish-receiving pier, brining warehouse, 'exit,' carpentry-cooperage workshop, dining room and kitchen, bathhouse, laundry, drying room for work clothes); requirements for tongs (presence of dining room and kitchen, drying room for work clothes, bathhouse, and accommodation for workers); for shalandas, the presence of a dining room, kitchen, bakery, bathhouse, laundry, drying room for special clothing, and a room for first aid posts is provided. The resolution also provides sanitary requirements for the arrangement of working and auxiliary premises, water supply, sewage, and waste disposal, as well as safety rules. For salting fish, brine is used, which is a solution of salt in water; to prepare it, water is poured into a boiler, heated to boiling, and salt is added in the amount necessary to obtain a saturated solution. When cleaning vats from brine, there is a danger of poisoning for workers engaged in cleaning, which depends on the presence of a significant amount of organic substances in the brine. Groundwater, penetrating into the brine, causes the brine in the vats to rot, as well as the formation of a large amount of hydrogen sulfide; when cleaning the vat, hydrogen sulfide is released and causes poisoning, sometimes even fatal. To prevent this, the following measures must be taken: preliminary covering of the brine with quicklime or iron vitriol and supplying workers engaged in cleaning with gas masks. Among the occupational diseases of F. workers, paronychia in fish filleting women occupy first place, constituting 70-80% of all occupational diseases. Paronychia are formed mainly after being pricked by fish bones. In second place are rheumatic diseases, mainly in workers engaged on tongs. In these same workers, eczema on the legs is not uncommon, occurring from a special type of work clothing, so-called leather boots, which tug workers wear during fishing. Among infectious diseases, malaria is quite widespread in F., especially abundant in the Dagestan and Astrakhan F. Therefore, one of the main tasks of the medical personnel of F. is the fight against malaria. The specificity of the production work and living conditions in F. requires particularly careful sanitary supervision over both the production processes themselves (for the protection of the product in terms of its quality) and all domestic institutions (housing, nutrition, bathhouses, laundry, etc.). As for medical care, F. has a special network of medical-prophylactic institutions (hospitals, outpatient clinics, health posts), while shalandas are most often served by lekpoms (medical posts on the shalandas themselves).-See also Fish, fish as a food product.