ISINGLASS

MEETING OF THE LONDON SECTION HELD AT THE CHARING CROSS STATION HOTEL, STRAND, ON TUESDAY, 14th DECEMBER, 1943.

Mr. H. Heron in the chair.
The following papers were read and discussed:

ISINGLASS  (paper 1)
By F. G. S. Procter

In the general pre-war procedure of isinglass markets sales took place about every 5 weeks. Merchants were never sure of what was coming along, but the trader at the other side of the world was usually kept well informed by his agents here as to what was wanted, or likely to be wanted, so that he shipped accordingly, the result being a steady flow of supply and fairly even prices. As the war developed things began to get difficult, shipments were delayed, some did not arrive, and anxiety arose about supplies.

Brewers wanted to increase their reserve, merchants could not meet all demands, and enemy action here made things more difficult.

Probably no brewer was ever without supply, but the effect of all this was what might be expected. A rise in prices and a keener demand for what was available.

Restriction on imports by the Treasury brought an end to the public sales, the Ministry of Food took control of all imports, and the trade was informed that it was expected to organize itself on an approved plan so as to eliminate competition, etc. In due course the ‘Isinglass Trades’ Association was formed, of which every merchant is a member, brokers and shippers being included. The Ministry allow a certain amount of isinglass to be imported, an amount calculated to meet the needs of the brewers; it must all pass through the usual trade channels, must not be sold to anyone outside the brewing trade, unless a permit is granted to do otherwise. Import prices are fixed and every merchant has an allocation based on pre-war trade. Everybody concerned has co-operated very, well and as a war-time measure it is a success.

Immediately preceding the war, 1938-9, twelve months’ importations were 275 tons, made up as follows: —

Of this about 80 tons was exported, 10 tons to the Dominions, 45 to the U.S.A., and 26 tons to the Continent.

For the present this trade is lost as all export licences were withdrawn quite early in the war. The Dominions usually had their supply in the same way as the home brewer, Saigon, Penang or India Leaf, or maybe Strips.

The U.S.A. bought “Ribbon.” Ribbon isinglass is prepared by passing isinglass through heavy rollers until it is paper thick ness. From some old records in the writer’s possession, it appears that American isinglass is prepared from the sounds of hake caught in the deep waters off the coast of Nova Scotia. The sounds are very small and are usually removed from the fish aboard ship and salted in barrels to prevent putrefaction. After being washed, cleaned and softened at the factory the sounds are run into a cutting machine provided with a roller and a set of knives which chop them into small pieces; the chopped sounds are mixed, passed through further rollers, pressed into sheets, finally emerging as ribbon 1/64 in. thick, 6 in. wide and any length. This is briefly how isinglass is prepared for America, the material used here being superior to the hake sounds.

For some Continental trade, also, ribbon is required, cut into squares about the size of a postage stamp; it went for the most part to Germany from whence a good deal reached Finland for use in coffee, where it would appear on the table in cafes and a piece put into coffee. In this country the sheet or ribbon is cut into very fine threads and is used for making jellies.

About 200 tons is a fair average year’s supply for the home trade. The imports of Russian are very small, the Saigon and Penang disappeared with the Japanese occupation of Malaya, and we now rely entirely upon India and Brazil; the types available being: —Penang Character Leaf, East India Leaf, Bladder Pipe, Purse from India, Lump and Pipe from Brazil and occasional parcels from Venezuela.

The trade has tried, and the Government have made efforts to get an increased supply from Russia, but without success, as it is required for their home consumption. The average import figures of Russian isinglass for the years 1844-50 was 67 tons a year, now it is only a few tons; it was used extensively for culinary purposes; the intro duction of gelatine, however, curtailed the sale of isinglass considerably; it is to be hoped, however, that imports of this material will be resumed. India is making up the shortage from other places, but the quality of some of the leaf might be better.

The best isinglass is taken from fish caught in deep waters, but the market for the carcasses (used as a fertilizer) has fallen off since the war as the principal customer was Italy. Consequently, shallow water fishing appears, at the moment, the better proposition as the fish are edible and find a ready market. The isinglass produced is of the “Purse and Bladder” variety, the latter a type not well known here before the war. The market was Hong Kong, it being considered something of a delicacy by the Chinese. It has proved a great help and is quite efficient.

There has been practically no change in the isinglass trade over many years; it has been almost entirely in the same hands for a century. The trade remains very constant; the earliest complete yearly import figures the writer finds are for 1871-2, and the average for twelve months was 32 tons Russian, 24 tons India, 41 tons Brazil, 3 tons British Guiana, 60 tons Strait Settlements, 9 tons Germany, 2 tons Egypt, 16 tons other countries, a total of 187 tons. Taking into account that the amount of export in those days was smaller, home consumption is not very much different now than it was then, and the sources of supply are almost the same.

The method of procuring isinglass does not appear to ever have changed. In Russia the larger sturgeon are caught with a harpoon in the deepest waters of the Caspian, the smaller species are taken by hook near the shore. The bladder is extracted at the fishery and dried in the sun or open air. The fish taken in the Volga produce an excellent isinglass (Astrachan). The fisheries have all the isinglass collected at one centre, a town—Nijni-Novgorod; at one time it was all sold there at a great fair to brokers and merchants from St. Petersburg, after which, it was shipped to London. The last shipment was in 1938.

In Indian waters the method is somewhat similar, the catch is landed at a selected beach spot, the sound extracted, washed; sometimes treated with sulphur and dried in the sun, the process usually taking 10 to 14 days. It is railed to Bombay for packing and shipment to London.

Pipe isinglass is the closed bladder as taken from the fish not having been opened and cleaned as it should be, fishermen mostly responsible for this operate individually and have not the facilities to deal with it properly; they sell their small catch to some dealer who accumulates it over a period until he has sufficient to resell for shipment. The fishing vessel in Brazil is more primitive still, but on much the same lines.

It has been stated that as brewers have managed quite well with the limited varieties now available, they will not be inclined again to consider using higher grades costing more. This opens up a big question, but surely it is wise to select whenever possible the best quality of the particular variety which has given satisfaction.