A fish fillet processor processes

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

into a fillet. Fish processing starts from the time the fish is caught. Popular

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

processed include cod,

hake The term hake refers to fish in the: * Family Merlucciidae of northern and southern oceans * Family Phycidae (sometimes considered the subfamily Phycinae in the family Gadidae) of the northern oceans Hake Hake is in the same taxonomic order ( ...

, haddock,

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean ...

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Onco ...

and

pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. '' Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as pollock in North America, Ireland and the United Kingd ...

. Commercial fish processing is a global practice. Processing varies regionally in

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

, type of operation, yield and regulation. Approximately 90% of processed fish are oceanic fish. The remaining 10% are from conciliatory freshwater operations and aquacultural production. Most fish processing industries are near commercial fishing zones. In certain regions, fish are transported or exported for processing.

Major fish processing countries

The largest

processing countries in order are: These countries produce over half the

world In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

's fish products. The Pacific Northwest region of the United States provider the greatest volume.

Uses of processed fish

Seventy-five percent of fish processed is for human consumption. Fish oil and fish meal comprise the remaining 25% of fish processing, with fish meal predominantly used in livestock feed and aquaculture. Fresh fish accounts for 30% of production. Most processed fish is sold frozen as fillets or whole fish, canned fish and as other fish protein products (e.g.

surimi is a paste made from fish or other meat. The term can also refer to a number of East Asian foods that use that paste as their primary ingredient. It is available in many shapes, forms, and textures, and is often used to mimic the texture and ...

). The consumption of frozen fish products as ready-to-eat meals, fillets, and whole fish is increasing globally.

Processing procedures

Processing can start either on the

fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was ...

or at the plants. For example, some time the fishes are beheaded and gutted on par the fishing vessel its self. The process involved in filleting of whitefish is moderately different as compared to the filleting of

oily fish Oily fish are fish species with oil (fats) in soft tissues and in the coelomic cavity around the gut. Their fillets may contain up to 30% oil, although this figure varies both within and between species. Examples of oily fish include sma ...

Whitefish

In certain fish processing industries, filleting is done manually. The fish is be-headed, gutted, de-iced and de-scaled. It is then graded and filleted by hand. After the processing phase, the fish fillet is trimmed for blood, bones, fins, black membrane, fleas, loose fish scales and sorted. It is then packed and frozen in cold storage.

Processing of oily fish

Oily fish have oils throughout their tissues and in the stomach cavity around the gut. Up to 30% of oil is found in the fillet, varying across species. Examples of oily fish include

and anchovy. Due to the oil content, gutting and heading is avoided to reduce the risk associated with oily surfaces. The oily skin is kept as it retains the quality of the flesh. The filleting process is almost the same for the whitefish breeds, but oily fish is mostly canned.

References