Turning fish into food has never been more sophisticated.
N ot too long ago, commercial fish processing on land and sea consisted mostly of workers, aces with knives, and those who used uncomplicated steel machines that could make simple cuts. Small Scale Chicken Slaughter Machine
Today, globe-spanning manufacturers in this specialized food processing space proudly boast of yield increases, complete automation, cloud-based software support and more highly technical goals and capabilities.
The macro-level fish processing industry trend seems to be increased emphasis on software support, even remotely and with cloud-based capabilities. The digital world is supposed to help integrate a vessel’s processing line into increasingly automated, streamlined, compact and efficient systems.
Ideally, these systems will advance both sustainability, a la reduced waste, while also advancing profits. The endorsements of working fishermen using these systems will be the ultimate verdict.
By and large, Nordic countries seem to be leading the evolution, notably companies based in Iceland, Denmark and Norway.
American companies like Poulsbo, Wash.-based MTC Food Equipment, Inc. are mostly suppliers of new and pre-owned seafood processing equipment. MTC, established in 1997, supplies de-heading, gutting, fillet, pin bone pulling, de-boning, skinning, vacuum packing, slicing, pumping, freezing, smoking, packaging and more.
But the European countries seem dominant in the manufacturing and development of the new generations of equipment, often with full engineering support from inception through installation and servicing.
Denmark-based Carsoe has a large Seattle office and production facility to service North America. The company offers product lines and solutions throughout the seafood value chain both aboard and on land. Lifting and handling machines from column lifts to swing loaders are also part of the Carsoe umbrella.
The company is quick to tout its software services where customers have a high degree of customization. Sensors can feed into the software to display real-time speed, temperature, humidity and other information as needed.
Historical data also can be referenced and complete reports produced to give operators the clearest picture of what’s going on along the production line.
While most of the company’s latest notable work and installs have been in Europe and Greenland this year, Carsoe was central to the f/v Arctic Fjord project. Vessel owner Arctic Storm Management chose Carsoe to provide the entire on-board fishing processing factory for Alaska pollock.
The 325-foot, Rolls-Royce-designed Arctic Fjord is the largest fishing vessel to ever be built in the U.S. The vessel began its working life in the North Pacific last year.
The Carsoe Alaskan pollock solution allows for the on-board production of fish blocks, surimi, roe, fish meal and fish oil. Carsoe aimed to create a solution with an emphasis on low fuel consumption, limited emissions and vibrations for noise levels.
After installation in 2020, Carsoe pioneered a remote Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of their system on the Arctic Fjord. The company utilized five cameras so that customers or stakeholders could oversee the FAT test from anywhere in the world. Normally, customers must travel into the boat or factory to oversee the test themselves.
“The advantage of the online FAT-test is the ability to get a complete overview of the processing line from above as well as zooming in to specific details when needed,” Installation and Commissioning Manager Jimmy Nielsen said. “As Carsoe deals with customers all over the world, we will definitely look into doing more remote testing in the future.”
Iceland-based Marel is a player in the food processing game across many sectors from poultry and meat to prepared food and water treatment. But one of their specialties is fish processing with products, software and service.
They aim for all stages of the fish processing line, from deheading and filleting to breading. They operate American locations in Kansas, Iowa and Georgia.
Notably, last year the company debuted a new salmon and trout-filleting machine, the MS 2750. The machine is designed for fish weighing between 3.3 and 22 pounds.
Marel touts the model as the most sustainable and highest yielding on the market, but what does that mean in real-world terms?
The MS 2750 uses 15 liters of water per minute which, according to Marel, can save up to 2.5 million liters of water per year when compared to other units in the marketplace. The MS 2750 connects to Marel’s Automatic Deheader MS 2721V or with an integrated PaceInFeeder to handle up to 25 fish per minute without operator input—which could save some labor.
Like other leading competitors in the industry, Marel offers a cloud-based digital solution, SmartBase, as standard to provide real-time data on machinery like the MS 2750. Marel also has their in-house Innova food processing software which aims to collect and collate data in order to improve performance and enhance productivity.
Norway-based Optimar provides fish processing systems aboard fishing vessels, on land and in aquaculture. Like other global leaders, the company offers software support that includes remote diagnostics as part of its servicing efforts.
The company has locations in the U.S., Spain and Romania in addition to Norway, with customers in over 30 countries.
One of its featured products is the AutoPacker, an automated packing table. The state-of-the-art features are supposed to deliver precise measurement cuts, proportioning and packing within an intuitive interface.
Touted benefits are labor savings, accurate product weights and the compactness of an all-in-one solution. At the time of this writing, the AutoPacker supports cod and rose fish. In the future, the company states mackerel and salmon also will be supported.
Another featured product is the Optimar Electric Stunner system, which is designed to be the most humane way to kill all aquatic species. The company’s stunning system aims to be a low-maintenance, easy, safe way to sedate large numbers of fish, even in wet environments. The stunner requires 25 amps, 220 volts of single-phase power. Its fully automated with no operator required.
A notable Optimar installation this year was the freezer trawler Berlin for Deutsche Fischfang-Union of Germany. The job included a whitefish processing line, dedicated shrimp line, bleeding tank, autofreezers and automated handling solutions, including a hotel and palletizer.
BAADER, based in Germany, offers fish processing products across salmon, groundfish, pelagic species, aquaculture, tuna and more. As is the vertically integrated dream of many food-processing companies, it seeks to be partners across the value chain from catch to final product.
BAADER products aimed at whitefish in particular seem to be a specialty. The BAADER 608, released in 2021, is specialized to support the value-add fish products.
Not everything off a fish is going to be prime fillets, and converting whitefish trimmings, collar bones and mainframes into boneless minced fish can produce surimi, fish burgers, fish balls, fish sticks and more.
In addition to the meat, the separated fish bones can be utilized into fertilizers, food supplements, animal feed and other products.
A BAADER 189 Pro filleting machine became the first installed last year for Iceland fish processing company Fiskvinnslan Íslandssaga. The stainless steel BAADER 189 Pro was designed so computer-controlled motors could bring knives closer to the bones, reducing waste.
The ‘smart’ technology also allows for easier changes between fish sizes and species.
“We have long and good experience with the BAADER 189 machine, so our staff was very excited to see if the new machine would perform as well in as many areas as we had hoped,” company manager Óðinn Gestsson said. “After several months of using the new machine, it is clear to us that all the main expectations have been met or even exceeded.”
Similar customer testimony came this year from Denmark company Skagerak Salmon A/S, which upgraded its salmon processing line. BAADER installed a BAADER 434 for yield-saving head cuts, BAADER 581 Pro for high-yield filleting and BAADER 988 automatic salmon-trimming machine.
Skagerak Salmon and BAADER reported a 1.5% yield increase from the new production line, which long-term represents gains both in sustainability and profits.
“The new system has exceeded our expectations,” Skagerak Salmon A/S technical manager Henrik Torkild said. “By using the new technology to maximize resource utilization, we can now work exactly in line with our core value: sustainability.”
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