FROZEN EELS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 806, 29 October 1929, Page 8

FROZEN EELS

NEW INDUSTRY FOR DOMINION INSULATION PROBLEMS (From Our Resident Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Today. The possibilities of a new industry may depend upon the results of experiments now being made by Dr. W. Barnett, of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. lu co-operation with a Farmers - Fieezing Co., Dr. Barnett is working with frozen eels to endeavour to determine whether they contaminate other frozen produce stored near them. This is of vital importance to the eel trade which is believed to hold great possibilities for the Dominion. On the Continent of Europe there is a great demand for frozen eels which fetch good prices and a trial shipment sent to Europe has already shown a fair return. However, the eels must be frozen alive aud must be packed m a particular manner, and these details have not jet been properly learned by shippers. A barrier to growth of the trade at present is the agreement of the shipowners under existing freight contracts with meat and dairy produce shippers that there shall be no risk of contamination through stowage in refrigerated spare. Eels at present are regarded with somewhat unfriendly eyes, and Dr. Barnett s experiments may have a bearing on the future of the Industry in. its growing stages, as at present the trade is not large enough to enable shippers to contract for whole chambers of insulated space.