Fish factories process various fish species for sale in retail and fresh markets. Fish can be stored on fishing boats or processed on factory ships. Fish is sorted, gutted, filleted, graded, cut, and trimmed before being frozen, salted, or canned. Concerns about overfishing have led to fishing quotas and food safety certifications.
A fish factory is a fish processing plant where many different species of fish are processed for sale in the retail and fresh fish market. Fish species that are usually processed in a fish plant include salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, cod, haddock, hake and many others. Fish industries may have special farming facilities to raise their own fish, or they may hire independent fishing vessels to supply them with fish. They may even have their own trawlers for this purpose.
Since fish is a perishable product that can go bad quickly, it needs to be stored until it can be taken to be processed in a fish factory. Many fishing boats have freezers for storing fish, and some large fish processing companies even have a fish factory or row of canneries on the fishing boat itself. Such a factory ship can deliver canned goods directly to the retail sector. Given the growing demand for seafood around the world, there has been a corresponding increase in larger and better equipped fisheries.
There are several stages in fish processing. Raw fish is usually sorted first and then can be stored as it is or can be skinned and gutted. The fish is then filleted, graded, cut and trimmed. Depending on how it is sold, the fish can be frozen, salted or pre-cooked for storage. Fish that is to be sold in the retail trade is usually sent to be canned in the cannery line.
Processing fish this way is not a new concept. There are many cases in the history of fishing vessels that have specialized fishermen on board for fish processing or that the fish is processed as soon as possible in a coastal fish processing center. Archaeologists have found a Roman fish processing plant in Baelo Claudia in Spain. This fishmonger was used for the processing of Spanish garum fish and was then exported to Rome.
With the increase in fish consumption in modern times, there is a concern about overfishing and the depletion of natural fish populations. To prevent this from happening, many fishing companies either farm their own fish or agree to follow a strict fishing quota. Nowadays it is also mandatory for a seafood factory to obtain a food safety certification to demonstrate that it is following the correct and hygienic procedures to prepare its seafood products for the consumer market.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
