Abstract: A method and system for moving killed fish in a pipe or pipeline, comprising water and supply of pressurized air or water pressure or both to create zones having different properties in the pipe or pipeline to form a controllable water flow for propulsion of and controlled retention time of fish in the pipe or pipeline.

Abstract: The purpose of the present technology is to provide a frozen minced fish meat of high quality while effectively using a natural resource. During production of minced fish meat, after removal of the head, guts, and kidney tissue (kidneys), meat is harvested to produce a minced fish meat characterized in that gelation strength is not lowered. Specifically, this production method includes as essential steps a step of washing the fish body; a step of removing the head, guts, and kidney tissue; a washing step; and a meat harvesting step. Protease specific activity of the minced fish meat, as measured by the peptide quantitative analysis method using phenol test solution, is less than or equal to 0.001.

Abstract: A device and method for slaughtering fish, in particular white fish, has at least one fish receptacle for positioning and receiving the fish, a throat cutting apparatus for cutting through the throat in preparation for the pharynx cut, a pharynx cutting apparatus for completely cutting through the pharynx, a slaughtering apparatus for opening the abdominal cavity, a gut severing apparatus for releasing the entrails from the abdominal cavity and a peripheral fish receiving drum with which the fish can be moved to the individual processing stations. The fish receiving drum is driven intermittently in rotation about a horizontal shaft. The fish are movable transversely to their longitudinal axis on an essentially vertical circular path. The fish receptacle includes pectoral fin receptacles and a torso clamp for fixing the fish torsos. Also, a head support with a head clamp is provided.

Abstract: Methods are provided for separating the intact shell of hard-shelled crustaceans of any species from the raw edible meat contained therein which is very strongly attached to the shells. The methods each include the first step of initiating the detachment of the raw edible meat from the intact shell by the step of subjecting the intact shell to at least one freeze-thaw cycle, where the thawing is carried out in cold water or cold brine to minimize deterioration of the flavour of the crustacean meat. Then the intact shell is separated from the raw edible meat by several different alternative steps. One alternative step includes subjecting the so-treated intact shell to vacuum aspiration to separate the intact shell from the raw edible crustacean meat, so as to recover the raw edible crustacean meat. These methods may also be used for the recovery of raw edible intact crustacean meat, from easy-to-process clawed lobsters of the Homaridae family, easy-to-process crab, e.g.

Abstract: The head of a fish is severed from the fish body in a two-stage operation, in the first stage the root of the fish head beneath the gill covers being cut partway through and in the second stage the severance of the fish head from the fish body being completed. The first stage cutting operation is effected by cooperating disk cutters converging toward the fish head at an acute angle, means for sensing the thickness of a fish, and means for adjusting the spacing of the disk cutters in accordance with the thickness of the fish sensed. The fish are transported unidirectionally, and the spacing of the cutting disks is adjusted while the cutters are being reciprocated in the same direction of the travel as the fish is transported, and the disk cutters are then reciprocated in the direction opposite the direction of transport of the fish to effect the first stage cutting operation.

Abstract: A method for automatically cleaning fish such as cod comprises gripping the fish and subsequently cutting it open, first transversely behind the head from the belly of the fish and subsequently in its longitudinal direction along the belly, and finally removing the entrails.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cutting tongues, cheeks and belly flaps from fish heads and for cutting apart jaws of fish heads. The fish head is mounted on a reinforced beam beneath a spiked chain which moves the head along the beam, first towards horizontal knives which cut the tongue from the head, and then to vertical knives which cut the cheeks and the belly flaps from the head. Over the tongue knives are jaw rods which hold the jaw up to the beam adjacent the tongue knives. Inside the beam is a stick which can be driven down from the beam to locate the tongue in a cutting position below the tongue knives. The head hits a sensor which activates a power source for the stick. The belly flaps are held up by belly flap rods, which lie beneath the collar bones and keep the belly flaps from the tongue knives. The cheeks and belly flaps are cut off with two vertical cheek knives.

Abstract: A method and a machine for processing belly flaps from a front part of a fish which has been parted into a rear part and a front part. According to applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 716,738, it is known to move by spiked chain at each side, the front part of a fish with the belly foremost and the head farthest back, along a fixed straight track to a fixed U-shaped beam, which is a belly scraper. The belly of the front part is threaded upon the belly scraper which scrapes the inside of the belly cavity so that the entrails are loosened from the front part and moved into and along the belly scraper. The leading end part of the belly scraper has a knife edge and an elevation in the floor, and cuts the pectoral nose from the gills and the tongue so that the tongue moves into the belly scraper, which pierces downward and out from the head through the pectoral nose. The jaw bones move on top of the belly scraper along its upper edge, and the belly flaps move to the sides.

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying out a method for gutting fish is provided, which comprises in combination a conveyor including a number of segments at given intervals in a direction substantially perpendicular with respect to its moving direction and operating at a given speed in a certain direction, a rotary cutter for cutting off a head of a fish placed and carried on the conveyor while the venter located within the segment leads and the head is projected from one side edge of the conveyor, a retainer for retaining the fish to be beheaded in place, a plate for forcing the dorsal region of the beheaded fish onto the conveyor by the action of a spring, a guide plate fixed at a position where it comes into engagement with a cut end of the beheaded fish forced onto the conveyor by the plate, and a guts squeezer member formed of an elastomer adpated to be forcedly slid over the venter of the fish from the anus toward the cut end, the fish being now in engagement with the fixed guide plate and forced by the plate.

Abstract: The invention includes a method and a machine for removing spine 2, headbone 13 and organs 4, 5, 6 and 10 from a front part 1 of a fish "parting" of the fish into two parts, rear part and front part 1, where the pectoral nose 9 is uncut, and the pectoral bond 20 is uncut, and the belly cut 39 does not separate the lower end of the pectoral bones 19. The method includes moving, by means of a spiked chain at each side, the front part 1 with the belly 3 at front and the head 18 at rear along a fixed straight track 21 to a fixed U-formed beam comprising a belly scraper 16 at the end of the spiked chains 23. The belly 3 is threaded upon the belly scraper 16, which scrapes the inside of the belly 3, so that the organs get loose from the front part 1 and are moved into the belly scraper 16.At front of the belly scraper 16 is a gill knife 17, which cuts the lower ends of the gills 10 from the radix of the tongue 8.

Abstract: Apparatus including a continuously traveling endless conveyor having receptacles for receiving fish in an aligned position, passing them under a rotating cutter to cut through the head and backbone of the fish and then through an impact device to engage the partially decapitated head and forcibly sever it from the body while simultaneously at least partially eviscerating the fish.

Abstract: An apparatus to be used for cutting-off the heads of fish comprises a frame (1) with conveyance means (2,3,6) comprising holding means (7) for supporting the bodies of the fish and their heads for transport of the fish bodies and the heads crosswise with respect to the longitudinal direction of the fish at a head cutting-off station comprising two rotating knives (50,51). One of the knives (50) serves for providing a cut 53 which extends from the back of the fish behind its head and inclined inward and rearward towards the tail of the fish, whereas, the other knife (51) serves for providing a cut (54) extending from the abdominal side of the fish and inclined inward and backward towards the tail of the fish. The knives (50,51) are arranged with their circumferences closely ajacent each other. In order to avoid the use of two conveyors, viz.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mechanically cleaning freshly caught fish. In an initial step for preparing a throat cut in a roundfish, the head thereof is bent backwards to an angle of about 30.degree. relatively to the axis of the trunk to stretch the neck and isthmus of the fish. A throat cut is then performed in two steps. The first step of the throat cut is started at the ventral side of the fish, closely ahead of the front edge of the collar bones of the fish in order to cut the isthmus joining the head and the trunk. Thereafter, the second step of the throat cut continues the first step of the cut by severing all the way into the gill cavity up to the spine and mainly following along the front edge of the collar bones. Subsequently, a belly cut is made which permits the evisceration of the entrails of the fish intact.