Whether fish or salamander, these were preserved in so fresh a state, the scientific correspondent reported, that those present immediately broke open the ice encasing the specimens and devoured them with relish on the spot.... Which was that "those present" at those "excavations" at the Kolyma River were half-starved zeks (gulag prisoners) who would eat anything smacking of protein or carbohydrates or fat no matter how obviously old.The magazine no doubt astonished its small audience with the news of how successfully the flesh of fish could be kept fresh in a frozen state. But few, indeed, among its readers were able to decipher the genuine and heroic meaning of this incautious report.
Ignore the freezer burn.