The development of the whaling industry in the south seas has led to the industrial development of previously uninhabited islands. On South Georgia, which was previously uninhabited, actual industrial villages have been established. A church has been erected, and there are three slips for cutting up the whales, two guano factories, reservoirs for the oil, and houses for the staff. This Antarctic island has a floating population of many hundreds of sailors and workmen. A doctor resides there during the whaling season and, since 1908, the British Government has established a post office in this polar land. In 1922 the eyes of all the world were turned to this far-away land, the Gate of the Antarctic, as the body of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the hero of the Antarctic, was laid to rest there. CHAPTER IX THE CURING AND PRESERVATION OF FISH The preservation of fishes for use as food long after they have been caught is a matter of constantly increasing importance to the prosperity of the fishing industry. In most other food supplying industries the produce can be kept fresh for the market comparatively easily. Dry grain will keep indefinitely; vegetables and fruits with proper care will generally remain “fresh” long enough to reach distant markets. Oxen, sheep and pigs may be transported to the market alive, and then slaughtered as required. But a fish as soon as it is taken from the water dies and speedily begins to decay. Fish, like other foodstuffs, whether animal or vegetable, decays as a result of the growth in it and on it of certain micro-organisms (bacteria, moulds). These micro-organisms swarm in the air and on exposed surfaces all the world over. Generally speaking, they flourish best at ordinary temperatures and in a moist environment. Foodstuffs can be preserved from decay only by preventing the growth and development of these decay organisms. They can be killed outright by any of the ordinary sterilizing processes such as exposure to sufficient extremes of heat or cold, or by treatment with disinfectant substances (germicides) such as carbolic acid or hypochlorites. Clearly, however, foodstuffs cannot be preserved indefinitely by the simple process of killing all the organisms that are resident on the foodstuff at the time of treatment, for, as soon as the foodstuff is exposed to the air, it will become infected afresh. They can be preserved— (1) By boiling, and packing immediately afterwards in air-free containers. This process is, of course, the basis of the great meat packing industry. The meat is packed in a tin, the tin and its contents are heated in steam or boiling water until the meat is cooked and all the decay organisms are destroyed. The tin is then sealed, air-free and air-tight. (2) By freezing. Cold storage is a widely used method of preserving foodstuffs. The low temperature prevents the growth and development of decay organisms and, as long as the foodstuff is kept sufficiently cold, arrests decay.