Max:

From what I read somewhere a long time ago, the bleaching was not done on old decaying fish. The American palete does not appreciate the true smell of most fish. The fish that are bleached are fresh and the bleaching is only done to soften the natural smell. My mother used to make a turkey meat and bone soup that absolutely stank to the high heavens but tasted fantastic. The average person in the states who had never tasted this soup would probably have refused it as soon as the odor hit them, but it is great tasting while being bad smelling. Certain fish tend to be pungent in odor, but neutral in taste, so the processors kill some of the odor with a light bleaching solution.

Bountyhunter