The Salter

he salter's duty was to salt the cod to preserve it for the long trip to Europe. Salting removed the moisture contained in the fish and prevented the development of bacteria in the flesh.

Salting was done in two stages. On large vessels, there were two salters; one did the initial salting of the cod, and the other, the definitive salting. On small ships, one person did both the jobs.

Salters had a very important role. The quality of the cod depended on the care they took in their work, so the job was usually given to an experienced fisherman. They were paid slightly more than fishermen.