
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in practice it is extended to cover any
aquatic organisms harvested for commercial purposes, whether caught in
wild fisheries
A wild fishery is a natural body of water with a sizeable free-ranging fish or other aquatic animal (crustaceans and molluscs) population that can be harvested for its commercial value. Wild fisheries can be marine ( saltwater) or lacustrine/ ...
or harvested from
aquaculture
Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...
or
fish farming
Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...
.
Larger fish processing companies often operate their own
fishing fleet
A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing Ship, vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing (as in the "tuna fishing fleet"), or all fishing vessel ...
s or farming operations. The products of the
fish industry are usually sold to
grocery chains or to intermediaries. Fish are highly perishable. A central concern of fish processing is to prevent fish from deteriorating, and this remains an underlying concern during other processing operations.
Fish processing can be subdivided into fish handling, which is the preliminary processing of raw fish, and the manufacture of fish products. Another natural subdivision is into primary processing involved in the filleting and freezing of fresh fish for onward distribution to fresh fish retail and catering outlets, and the secondary processing that produces chilled, frozen and canned products for the retail and catering trades.
There is evidence humans have been processing fish since the early
Holocene
The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
.
These days, fish processing is undertaken by
artisan fishermen, on board
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
or
fish processing vessels, and at
fish processing plant
A fish factory, also known as a fish plant or fish processing facility, is a facility in which fish processing is performed. They are commonly located near bodies of water but can be located inland and on fishing vessels. The availability and va ...
s.
Overview

Fish is a highly perishable food which needs proper handling and preservation if it is to have a long shelf life and retain a desirable quality and nutritional value.
[FAO]
Handling of fish and fish products
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2011. The central concern of fish processing is to prevent fish from deteriorating. The most obvious method for preserving the quality of fish is to
keep them alive until they are ready for cooking and eating. For thousands of years, China achieved this through the aquaculture of
carp
The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...
. Other methods used to preserve fish and fish products include
[FAO]
Processing fish and fish products
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 31 October 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
*
ikejime method of
fish slaughter
*the control of temperature using ice, refrigeration or freezing
* the control of
water activity
In food science, water activity (''aw'') of a food is the ratio of its vapor pressure to the vapor pressure of water at the same temperature, both taken at equilibrium. Pure water has a water activity of one. Put another way, ''aw'' is the equi ...
by drying, salting,
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
or
freeze-drying
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature Food drying, dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, thereby removing the ice by Sublimation (phase transition), sublimat ...
* the physical control of
microbial
A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in ...
loads through microwave heating or ionizing irradiation
* the chemical control of microbial loads by adding acids
* oxygen deprivation, such as
vacuum packing
Vacuum packing is a method of packaging that removes air from the package prior to sealing. This method involves placing items in a plastic film package, removing air from inside and sealing the package. Shrink film is sometimes used to have a ti ...
.
Usually more than one of these methods is used. When chilled or frozen fish or fish products are transported by road, rail, sea or air, the
cold chain
A cold chain is a supply chain that uses refrigeration to maintain perishable goods, such as pharmaceuticals, produce or other goods that are temperature-sensitive. Common goods, sometimes called cool cargo, distributed in cold chains include fr ...
must be maintained. This requires insulated containers or transport vehicles and adequate refrigeration. Modern
shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated box design, corrugated b ...
s can combine refrigeration with a controlled atmosphere.
Fish processing is also concerned with proper
waste management
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitor ...
and with adding value to fish products. There is an increasing demand for ready to eat fish products, or products that do not need much preparation.
Handling the catch

When fish are captured or harvested for commercial purposes, they need some preprocessing so they can be delivered to the next part of the marketing chain in a fresh and undamaged condition. This means, for example, that fish caught by a
fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...
need handling so they can be stored safely until the boat lands the fish on shore. Typical handling processes are
* transferring the catch from the
fishing gear (such as a
trawl,
net or
fishing line
A fishing line is any flexible, high-tensile cord used in angling to tether and pull in fish, in conjunction with at least one hook. Fishing lines are usually pulled by and stored in a reel, but can also be retrieved by hand, with a fixed att ...
) to the
fishing vessel
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...
* holding the catch before further handling
* sorting and grading
* bleeding, gutting and washing
* chilling
* storing the chilled fish
* unloading, or landing the fish when the fishing vessel returns to port
The number and order in which these operations are undertaken varies with the fish species and the type of fishing gear used to catch it, as well as how large the fishing vessel is and how long it is at sea, and the nature of the market it is supplying.
Catch processing operations can be manual or automated. The equipment and procedures in modern
industrial fisheries are designed to reduce the rough handling of fish, heavy manual lifting and unsuitable working positions which might result in injuries.
Handling live fish
An alternative, and obvious way of keeping fish fresh is to keep them alive until they are delivered to the buyer or ready to be eaten. This is a common practice worldwide. Typically, the fish are placed in a container with clean water, and dead, damaged or sick fish are removed. The water temperature is then lowered and the fish are starved to reduce their
metabolic rate. This decreases fouling of water with metabolic products (ammonia, nitrite and carbon dioxide) that become toxic and make it difficult for the fish to extract oxygen.
Fish can be kept alive in floating cages, wells and
fish pond
A fish pond or fishpond is a controlled pond, small artificial lake or retention basin that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, for recreational fishing, or for ornamental purposes.
Fish ponds are a classical g ...
s. In
aquaculture
Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...
, holding basins are used where the water is continuously filtered and its temperature and oxygen level are controlled. In China, floating cages are constructed in rivers out of palm woven baskets, while in South America simple fish yards are built in the backwaters of rivers. Live fish can be transported by methods which range from simple
artisanal
An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...
methods where fish are placed in plastic bags with an oxygenated atmosphere, to sophisticated systems which use trucks that filter and recycle the water, and add oxygen and regulate temperature.
Preservation
Preservation
Preservation may refer to:
Heritage and conservation
* Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible
* ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...
techniques are needed to prevent fish
spoilage and lengthen
shelf life
Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a s ...
. They are designed to inhibit the activity of spoilage
bacteria
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
and the
metabolic
Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the ...
changes that result in the loss of fish quality.
Spoilage bacteria are the specific bacteria that produce the unpleasant odours and flavours associated with spoiled fish. Fish normally host many bacteria that are not spoilage bacteria, and most of the bacteria present on spoiled fish played no role in the spoilage. To flourish, bacteria need the right temperature, sufficient water and oxygen, and surroundings that are not too acidic. Preservation techniques work by interrupting one or more of these needs. Preservation techniques can be classified as follows.
[FAO]
Preservation techniques
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
Control of temperature

If the temperature is decreased, the metabolic activity in the fish from
microbial
A microorganism, or microbe, is an organism of microscopic size, which may exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells. The possible existence of unseen microbial life was suspected from antiquity, with an early attestation in ...
or
autolytic processes can be reduced or stopped. This is achieved by
refrigeration
Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...
where the temperature is dropped to about 0 °C, or
freezing
Freezing is a phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point.
For most substances, the melting and freezing points are the same temperature; however, certain substances possess dif ...
where the temperature is dropped below -18 °C. On fishing vessels, the fish are refrigerated mechanically by circulating cold air or by packing the fish in boxes with ice.
Forage fish
Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small pelagic fish that feed on planktons (i.e. planktivores) and other small aquatic organisms (e.g. krill). They are in turn preyed upon by various predators including larger fish, seabirds ...
, which are often caught in large numbers, are usually chilled with refrigerated or chilled seawater. Once chilled or frozen, the fish need further cooling to maintain the low temperature. There are key issues with fish cold store design and management, such as how large and energy efficient they are, and the way they are insulated and
pallet
A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a Loader (equipment), front loader, a Jack (mechanical), jacking device, or an erect cra ...
ized.
An effective method of preserving the freshness of fish is to chill with ice by distributing ice uniformly around the fish. It is a safe cooling method that keeps the fish moist and in an easily stored form suitable for transport. It has become widely used since the development of mechanical
refrigeration
Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...
, which makes ice easy and cheap to produce. Ice is produced in various shapes; crushed ice and
Flake Ice, plates, tubes and blocks are commonly used to cool fish.
Particularly effective is
slurry ice, made from micro crystals of ice formed and suspended within a solution of water and a
freezing point depressant, such as common salt.
A more recent development is
pumpable ice technology
Pumpable ice technology (PIT) uses thin liquids, with the cooling capacity of ice. Pumpable ice is typically a slurry of ice crystals or particles ranging from 5 micrometers to 1 cm in diameter and transported in brine, seawater, food liquid ...
. Pumpable ice flows like water, and because it is
homogeneous
Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity of a substance, process or image. A homogeneous feature is uniform in composition or character (i.e., color, shape, size, weight, height, distribution, texture, language, i ...
, it cools fish faster than fresh water solid ice methods and eliminates freeze burns. It complies with
HACCP
Hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP (), is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological hazard, biological, chemical hazard, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished ...
and
ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
food safety and public health standards, and uses less energy than conventional fresh water solid ice technologies.
File:Fish Packed in Ice.jpg, Fish packed in ice
File:sunwell fish packing pumpable slurry ice.JPG, Fish chilling with slurry ice.
File:Fish cooling by Pumpable Ice.jpg, Fish cooling by pumpable ice
File:Zhuhai-fishing-port-Loading-ice-0707.jpg, Loading blocks of factory-made ice from a truck to an ice depot boat
File:Ice house, Pittenweem - geograph.org.uk - 602960.jpg, Ice delivered to boat down an Archimedes screw, Pittenweem
Control of water activity

The
water activity
In food science, water activity (''aw'') of a food is the ratio of its vapor pressure to the vapor pressure of water at the same temperature, both taken at equilibrium. Pure water has a water activity of one. Put another way, ''aw'' is the equi ...
, a
w, in a fish is defined as the ratio of the
water vapour
Water vapor, water vapour, or aqueous vapor is the gaseous phase of water. It is one state of water within the hydrosphere. Water vapor can be produced from the evaporation or boiling of liquid water or from the sublimation of ice. Water vapor ...
pressure in the flesh of the fish to the vapour pressure of pure water at the same temperature and pressure. It ranges between 0 and 1, and is a parameter that measures how available the water is in the flesh of the fish. Available water is necessary for the microbial and enzymatic reactions involved in spoilage. There are a number of techniques that have been or are used to tie up the available water or remove it by reducing the a
w. Traditionally, techniques such as
drying
Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be consider ...
,
salting and
smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
have been used, and have been used for thousands of years. These techniques can be very simple, for example, by using solar drying. In more recent times,
freeze-drying
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature Food drying, dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, thereby removing the ice by Sublimation (phase transition), sublimat ...
, water binding
humectants, and fully automated equipment with temperature and humidity control have been added. Often a combination of these techniques is used.
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vrouwen tijdens het drogen van vis TMnr 20018454.jpg, Women drying fish, 1971
File:BD Mohanganj 6.jpg, Dry fish market at Mohanganj
File:Stockfisch in Iceland 2005.JPG, Drying stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks (which are called "hjell" in Norway) on the foreshore. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage li ...
in Iceland
File:Carlb-nfld-codflakes.jpg, Platforms, called fish flakes, where cod dry in the sun before being packed in salt
File:Usines de Salaison I Neapolis.JPG, Remains of Roman fish-salting plant at Neapolis
File:Tunisie Néapolis musée 8.jpg, Reconstruction of the Roman fish-salting plant at Neapolis
File:Malpe(24-1-08).JPG, Drying salted fish at Malpe Harbour
File:Salt fish dip 070826-292 mank.jpg, Salt fish dip at Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
Physical control of microbial loads
Heat or ionizing irradiation can be used to kill the
bacteria
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
that cause decomposition. Heat is applied by cooking, blanching or microwave heating in a manner that pasteurizes or sterilizes fish products. Cooking or pasteurizing does not completely inactivate microorganisms and may need to be followed with refrigeration to preserve fish products and increase their shelf life. Sterilised products are stable at ambient temperatures up to 40 °C, but to ensure they remain sterilized they need packaging in
metal cans or
retortable pouches before the heat treatment.
Chemical control of microbial loads
Microbial growth and proliferation can be inhibited by a technique called
biopreservation. Biopreservation is achieved by adding
antimicrobial
An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they are used to treat. For example, antibiotics are used aga ...
s or by increasing the
acidity
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid.
The first category of acids are the ...
of the fish muscle. Most bacteria stop multiplying when the
pH is less than 4.5. Acidity is increased by
fermentation
Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...
,
marination
Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a Seasoning, seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. This sauce, called the marinade, can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine), or enzymatic (made with ...
or by directly adding acids (acetic, citric, lactic) to fish products.
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactobacillales are an order of gram-positive, low-GC, acid-tolerant, generally nonsporulating, nonrespiring, either rod-shaped (bacilli) or spherical ( cocci) bacteria that share common metabolic and physiological characteristics. These bact ...
produce the antimicrobial
nisin
Nisin is a polycyclic antibacterial peptide produced by the bacterium ''Lactococcus lactis'' that is used as a food preservative. It has 34 amino acid residues, including the uncommon amino acids lanthionine (Lan), methyllanthionine (MeLan), dideh ...
which further enhances preservation. Other preservatives include
nitrite
The nitrite polyatomic ion, ion has the chemical formula . Nitrite (mostly sodium nitrite) is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name ...
s,
sulphites,
sorbate
Sorbic acid, or 2,4-hexadienoic acid, is a natural organic compound used as a food preservative. It has the chemical formula and the structure . It is a colourless solid that is slightly soluble in water and sublimes readily. It was first isol ...
s,
benzoate
Benzoic acid () is a white (or colorless) solid organic compound with the formula , whose structure consists of a benzene ring () with a carboxyl () substituent. The benzoyl group is often abbreviated "Bz" (not to be confused with "Bn," which ...
s and
essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...
s.
Control of the oxygen reduction potential
Spoilage bacteria and
lipid oxidation
Lipid peroxidation, or lipid oxidation, is a complex chemical process that leads to oxidative degradation of lipids, resulting in the formation of peroxide and hydroperoxide derivatives.{{Cite journal , last1=Ayala , first1=Antonio , last2=Muñoz ...
usually need oxygen, so
reducing the oxygen around fish can increase shelf life. This is done by
controlling or
modifying the atmosphere around the fish, or by
vacuum packaging. Controlled or modified atmospheres have specific combinations of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and the method is often combined with refrigeration for more effective fish preservation.
Combined techniques
Two or more of these techniques are often combined. This can improve preservation and reduce unwanted side effects such as the
denaturation of nutrients by severe heat treatments. Common combinations are salting/drying, salting/marinating, salting/smoking, drying/smoking, pasteurization/refrigeration and controlled atmosphere/refrigeration.
Other process combinations are currently being developed along the
multiple hurdle theory.
Automated processes
"The search for higher productivity and the increase of labor cost has driven the development of
computer vision technology, electronic scales and automatic skinning and
filleting machines."
File:Fish processing hg.jpg, Automatic knives for filleting fish
File:US Patent 1773079 (Fig 1).jpg, Patent issued to Clarence Birdseye for the production of quick-frozen fish, 1930
File:Fish-finger-line hg.jpg, Processing line for fish fingers
File:Fish feed production in Stokmarknes, Norway.jpg, Fish feed
Manufactured feeds are an important part of modern commercial aquaculture. They provide the balanced nutrition needed by farmed fish. The feeds, in the form of granules or pellets, give nutrition in a stable and concentrated form, enabling the ...
production in Norway
Waste management

Waste produced during fish processing operations can be solid or liquid.
* Solid wastes: include skin, viscera,
fish heads and carcasses (fish bones). Solid waste can be recycled in
fish meal plants or it can be treated as
municipal waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, a ...
.
[FAO]
Waste management of fish and fish products
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
* Liquid wastes: include bloodwater and brine from drained storage tanks, and water discharges from washing and cleaning. This waste may need holding temporarily, and should be disposed of without damage to the environment. How liquid waste should be disposed from fish processing operations depends on the content levels in the waste of solid and organic matter, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus content, and oil and grease content. It also depends on an assessment of parameters such acidity levels, temperature, odour, and
biochemical oxygen demand and
chemical oxygen demand. The magnitude of waste management issues depends on how much waste volume there is, the nature of the pollutants it carries, the rate at which it is discharged and the capacity of the receiving environment to assimilate the pollutants. Many countries dispose of such liquid wastes through their municipal sewage systems or directly into a waterway. The receiving waterbody should be able to degrade the organic and inorganic waste components in a way that does not damage the
aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environ ...
.
Treatments can be primary and secondary.
* Primary treatments: use physical methods such as flotation, screening, and sedimentation to remove oil and grease and other suspended solids.
* Secondary treatments: use biological and physicochemical means. Biological treatments use microorganisms to metabolise the organic polluting matter into energy and
biomass
Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...
. "These microorganisms can be aerobic or anaerobic. The most used aerobic processes are activated sludge system, aerated lagoons, trickling filters or bacterial beds and the rotating biological contractors. In anaerobic processes, the anaerobic microorganisms digest the organic matter in tanks to produce gases (mainly methane and ) and biomass. Anaerobic digesters are sometimes heated, using part of the methane produced, to maintain a temperature of 30 to 35°C. In the physicochemical treatments, also called coagulation-flocculation, a chemical substance is added to the effluent to reduce the surface charges responsible for particle repulsions in a colloidal suspension, thus reducing the forces that keep its particles apart. This reduction in charge causes flocculation (agglomeration) and particles of larger sizes are settled and clarified effluent is obtained. The sludge produced by primary and secondary treatments is further processed in digesting tanks through anaerobic processes or sprayed over land as a fertilizer. In the latter case, care must be exercised to ensure that the sludge is freed of its pathogens."
Transport
Fish is transported widely in ships, and by land and air, and much fish is traded internationally. It is traded live, fresh, frozen, cured and canned. Live, fresh and frozen fish need special care.
[FAO]
Transportation of fish and fish products
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
* Live fish: When live fish are transported they need oxygen, and the carbon dioxide and ammonia that result from respiration must not be allowed to build up. Most fish transported live are placed in water supersaturated with oxygen (though
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...
can breathe air directly through their gills and body skin, and the
climbing perch has special air-breathing organs). The fish are often "conditioned" (starved) before they are transported to reduce their metabolism and increase
packing density, and the water can be cooled to further reduce metabolism. Live
crustacean
Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...
s can be packed in wet sawdust to keep the air humid.
* By air: Over five percent of the global fish production is transported by air. Air transport needs special care in preparation and handling and careful scheduling. Airline
transport hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between mode of transport, transport modes. Public transport hubs include train station, railway stations, metro station, rapid transit stations, bus ...
s often require cargo transfers under their own tight schedules. This can influence when the product is delivered, and consequently the condition it is in when it is delivered. The air shipment of leaking seafood packages causes corrosion damage to aircraft, and each year, in the US, requires millions of dollars to repair the damage. Most airlines prefer fish that is packed in dry ice or gel, and not packed in ice.
* By land or sea: "The most challenging aspect of fish transportation by sea or by road is the maintenance of the
cold chain
A cold chain is a supply chain that uses refrigeration to maintain perishable goods, such as pharmaceuticals, produce or other goods that are temperature-sensitive. Common goods, sometimes called cool cargo, distributed in cold chains include fr ...
, for fresh, chilled and frozen products and the optimisation of the packing and stowage density. Maintaining the cold chain requires the use of insulated containers or transport vehicles and adequate quantities of coolants or mechanical refrigeration. Continuous temperature monitors are used to provide evidence that the cold chain has not been broken during transportation. Excellent development in food packaging and handling allow rapid and efficient loading, transport and unloading of fish and fishery products by road or by sea. Also, transport of fish by sea allows for the use of special containers that carry fish under vacuum, modified or controlled atmosphere, combined with refrigeration."
Quality and safety
The
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
M ...
, ISO, is the worldwide federation of national standards bodies. ISO defines ''quality'' as "the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs."(ISO 8402). The quality of fish and fish products depends on safe and hygienic practices. Outbreaks of fish-borne illnesses are reduced if appropriate practices are followed when handling, manufacturing, refrigerating and transporting fish and fish products. Ensuring standards of quality and safety are high also minimizes the post-harvest losses."
[FAO]
Quality and safety of fish and fish products
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 September 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
"The fishing industry must ensure that their fish handling, processing and transportation facilities meet requisite standards. Adequate training of both industry and control authority staff must be provided by support institutions, and channels for feedback from consumers established. Ensuring high standards for quality and safety is good economics, minimizing losses that result from spoilage, damage to trade and from illness among consumers."
Fish processing highly involves very strict controls and measurements in order to ensure that all processing stages have been carried out hygienically. Thus, all fish processing companies are highly recommended to join a certain type of food safety system. One of the certifications that are commonly known is the
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Fish quality has a direct impact on market price. Accurate assessment and prediction of fish quality are of main importance to set prices, increase competitiveness, resolve conflicts of interest and prevent food wastage due to conservative product shelf-life estimations. In last years, research in food science and technology has focused on developing new methodologies to predict fish freshness.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
HACCP is a system which identifies hazards and implements measures for their control. It was first developed in 1960 by NASA to ensure food safety for the crewed space program. The main objectives of NASA were to prevent food safety problems and control food borne diseases. HACCP has been widely used by food industry since the late 1970 and now it is internationally recognized as the best system for ensuring food safety.
"The
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
Hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP (), is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological hazard, biological, chemical hazard, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished ...
(HACCP) system of assuring food safety and quality has now gained worldwide recognition as the most cost-effective and reliable system available. It is based on the identification of risks, minimizing those risks through the design and layout of the physical environment in which high standards of hygiene can be assured, sets measurable standards and establishes monitoring systems. HACCP also establishes procedures for verifying that the system is working effectively. HACCP is a sufficiently flexible system to be successfully applied at all critical stages -- from harvesting of fish to reaching the consumer. For such a system to work successfully, all stakeholders must cooperate which entails increasing the national capacity for introducing and maintaining HACCP measures. The system's control authority needs to design and implement the system, ensuring that monitoring and corrective measures are put in place."
HACCP is endorsed by the:
*
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
*
Codex Alimentarius
The is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations relating to f ...
(a commission of the United Nations)
*
FDA (US Food and Drug Administration)
*
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
*
WHO (World Health Organization)
There are seven basic principles:
* Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis.
* Principle 2: After assessing all the processing steps, the
Critical control point (CCP) is controlled. CCP are points which determine and control significant hazards in a food manufacturing process.
* Principle 3: Set up critical limits in order to ensure that the hazard identified is being controlled effectively.
* Principle 4: Establish a system so as to monitor the CCP.
* Principle 5: Establish corrective actions where the critical limit has not been met. Appropriate actions need to be taken which can be on a short or long-term basis. All records must be sustained accurately.
* Principle 6: Establish authentication procedures so as to confirm if the principles imposed by HACCP documents are being respected effectively and all records are being taken.
* Principle 7: Analyze if the HACCP plan are working effectively.
Final products
Finfish, or parts of finfish, are typically presented physically for marketing in one of the following forms
[Fin Fish](_blank)
Purdue University. Accessed 18 March 2011.
* whole fish: the fish as it originally came from the water, with no physical processing
* drawn fish: a whole fish which has been
eviscerated, that is, had its internal organs removed
* dressed fish: fish that has been
scaled and eviscerated, and is ready to cook.
* pan dressed fish: a dressed fish which has had its head, tail, and fins removed, so it will fit in a pan.
*
filleted fish: the "fleshy sides of the fish, cut lengthwise from the fish along the backbone. They are usually boneless, although in some fish small bones called “pins” may be present; skin may be present on one side, too. Butterfly fillets may be available. This refers to two fillets held together by the uncut flesh and skin of the belly"
* fish steaks: large dressed fish can be cut into cross section slices, usually half to one inch thick, and usually with a cross section of the backbone
*
fish sticks: "are pieces of fish cut from blocks of frozen fillets into portions at least 3/8-inch thick. Sticks are available in fried form ready to heat or frozen raw, coated with batter and breaded, ready to be cooked"
*
fish cakes: are "prepared from flaked fish, potatoes, and seasonings, and shaped into cakes, coated with batter, breaded, and then packaged and frozen, ready-to-be-cooked"
*
fish fingers
*
fish roe
File:Tsukiji.CuttingFrozenTuna.jpg, Cutting frozen tuna with a band saw
File:Hake fillet.jpg, Filleting hake
File:Oroshi hocho knives.jpg, Japanese utensils used to fillet large tuna
File:Fleet Fisheries Processing Center.jpg, Filleting sole
Value addition

In general
value addition means “any additional activity that in one way or the other change the nature of a product thus adding to its value at the time of sale.” Value addition is an expanding sector in the food processing industry, especially in export markets. Value is added to fish and fishery products depending on the requirement of different markets. Globally a transition period is taking place where cooked products are replacing traditional raw products in consumer preference.
"In addition to preservation, fish can be industrially processed into a wide array of products to increase their economic value and allow the fishing industry and exporting countries to reap the full benefits of their aquatic resources. In addition, value processes generate further employment and hard currency earnings. This is more important nowadays because of societal changes that have led to the development of outdoor catering, convenience products and food services requiring fish products ready to eat or requiring little preparation before serving."
[FAO]
Further processing of fish
Fisheries and aquaculture department, Rome. Updated 27 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
"However, despite the availability of technology, careful consideration should be given to the economic feasibility aspects, including distribution, marketing, quality assurance and trade barriers, before embarking on a value addition fish process."
* Surimi:
Surimi
is a paste made from Fish as food, fish or other meat. It can also be any of a number of East Asian cuisine, East Asian foods that use that paste as their primary ingredient. It is available in many shapes, forms, and textures, and is often ...
and surimi-based products are an example of value added products. Surimi is prepared from the mechanically deboned, washed (bleached) and stabilised flesh of fish. "It is an intermediate product used in the preparation of a variety of ready to eat seafood such as
kamaboko
is a type of Curing (chemistry), cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. It was initially made in the year 1115.
Production and uses
is made by forming various Purée, pureed deboned whitefish (fisheries term), whit ...
, fish sausage, crab legs and imitation shrimp products. Surimi-based products are gaining more prominence worldwide, because of the emergence of Japanese restaurants and culinary traditions in North America, Europe and elsewhere. Ideally, surimi should be made from low-value,
white fish with excellent gelling ability and which are abundant and available year-round. At present, Alaskan
pollack accounts for a large proportion of the surimi supply. Other species, such as sardine, mackerel, barracuda, striped mullet have been successfully used for surimi production."
* Fishmeal and fish oil: "A significant proportion of the world catch (20 percent) is processed into
fishmeal and
fish oil
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega−3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation in the bod ...
. Fishmeal is a ground solid product that is obtained by removing most of the water and some or all of the oil from fish or fish waste. This industry was launched in the 19th century, based mainly on surplus catches of herring from seasonal coastal fisheries to produce oil for industrial uses in leather tanning and in the production of soap, glycerol and other non-food products. Presently, it uses small
oily fish to produce fishmeal and oil. It is worthy to mention that, only where it is uneconomic or impracticable for human consumption, should the catch be reduced to fishmeal and oil. Indeed, cycling fish through poultry or pigs is a loss because there is a need for 3 kg of edible fish to produce approximately 1 kg of edible chicken or pork."
History

There is evidence humans have been processing fish since the early
Holocene
The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
. For example, fishbones (c. 8140–7550
BP, uncalibrated) at
Atlit-Yam, a submerged
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
site off Israel, have been analysed. What emerged was a picture of "a pile of fish gutted and processed in a size-dependent manner, and then stored for future consumption or trade. This scenario suggests that technology for fish storage was already available, and that the Atlit-Yam inhabitants could enjoy the economic stability resulting from food storage and trade with mainland sites."
[Zohar I, Dayan T, Galili E and Spanier E (2001]
"Fish processing during the early Holocene: a taphonomic case study from coastal Israel"
''Journal of Archaeological Science'', 28: 1041–1053.
File:Egyptian_fishery3.jpg, Egyptians
Egyptians (, ; , ; ) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to Geography of Egypt, geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretchi ...
bringing in fish and splitting them for salting
File:Walraversijde55.jpg, Medieval smokehouse
A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.[Walraversijde
Walraversijde is an abandoned medieval fishing village on the Belgian coast, near Ostend. It was rediscovered in 1992 in a dune area, near a medieval dyke. Archeological research showed that it had been occupied, in two phases, between 1200 and ...]
, ca. 1465[Tys D and Pieters M (2009]
"Understanding a medieval fishing settlement along the southern Northern Sea: Walraversijde, c. 1200–1630"
In: Sicking L and Abreu-Ferreira D (Eds.) ''Beyond the catch: fisheries of the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic, 900-1850'', Brill, pages 91–122. .
File:The ice house Findhorn - geograph.org.uk - 547873.jpg, Ice house used to preserve fish at Findhorn
Findhorn ( or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, Scotland, Kinloss, and abou ...
See also
*
Cured fish
*
Dried fish
Fresh fish rapidly deteriorates unless some way can be found to preserve it. Drying (food), Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Open air drying using sun ...
*
Dried and salted cod
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export of ...
*
List of seafood companies
*
Salmon cannery
*
Salting
*
Salted fish
*
Scombroid food poisoning
*
Smoked fish
*
Scrod
Scrod or schrod () is a small cod or haddock, and sometimes other whitefish (fisheries term), whitefish, used as food. It is usually served as a fish fillet, fillet, though formerly it was often split instead.
In the wholesale fish business, scr ...
*
Fish fillet processor
*
Fish slaughter
*
Ikejime
*
Notes
References
* Bekker-Nielsen T (2005
''Ancient fishing and fish processing in the Black Sea region''Volume 2 of Black Sea studies, Aarhus University Press, .
* Bremner HA (2003
''Safety and Quality Issues in Fish Processing''Woodhead Publishing Limited, .
* Brewer DJ and Friedman RF (1989
''Fish and Fishing in Ancient Egypt''Cairo press: The American University in Cairo.
* Cutting CL (1955) ''Fish saving; a history of fish processing from ancient to modern times'', L. Hill.
*
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...
and
WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...
(2012
''Codex Alimentarius: Code of practice for fish and fishery products''Rome. .
* Hall GM (1997
''Fish processing technology''Springer, .
* Luten JB, Jacobsen C and Bekaert K (2006
''Seafood research from fish to dish: quality, safety and processing of wild and farmed fish''Wageningen Academic Publishers. .
* Pearson AM and Dutson TR (1999) ''HACCP in Meat, Poultry and Fish Processing'', Volume 10 of ''Advances in meat research'', Springer. .
* Shahidi F, Jones Y and Kitts DD (1997) ''Seafood safety, processing, and biotechnology'', Technomic, .
* Stellman JM (ed.) (1998
''Chemical, industries and occupations''Volume 3 of ''Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety'', International Labour Organization. .
* Stewart H (1982
''Indian Fishing: Early Methods on the Northwest Coast''University of Washington Press. .
* Stewart K M (1989) Fishing Sites of North and East Africa in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Volume 34 of Cambridge monographs in African archaeology.
* Stewart KM (1994
"Early hominid utilisation of fish resources and implications for seasonality and behaviour"''Journal of Human Evolution'', 27: 229–245.
* United Nations Development Fund for Women (1993
''Fish processing''Food Technology Source Book Series (UNIFEM) Series, .
External links
directory of academic and industry literature
Fish Products Industry in Canada
{{dried fish