§ 784.150 Named operations performed on previously processed aquatic products.

It will be noted that section 13(b)(4) refers to employees employed in “processing” the named aquatic commodities and not just to “first processing” as does the provision in section 13(a)(5) for such processing at sea. Accordingly, if the aquatic products, though subjected to a processing operation, are still in a perishable state, the subsequent performance of any of the enumerated operations on the still perishable products will be within the exemption no matter who the employer performing the exempt operations may be. He may be the same employer who performed the prior processing or other exempt operation, another processor, or a wholesaler, as the case may be. As noted in § 784.138(b), the Department has not questioned the applicability of the foregoing rule where the operation is performed on frozen, salted, smoked, or cured fish.