Seafood Innovations is making a name for itself around the world with its innovative capabilities.
Industry-scale trials have been carried out at one of Marine-Harvest’s salmon farming plants in Rogaland, Norway of an automated slaughtering machine.
The system has now been trialled in several places around the world and on several fish species.
In the Norwegian trial, salmon were pumped directly from aquaculture pens to a vessel especially outfitted for the trials. The machine kills the fish instantaneously with a blow to the head. Next, the fish are cut for bleeding and transported to a tank containing cold sterile seawater where it is bled out.
Scientists from Fiskeriforskning have confirmed that the fish are killed instantly when the machine delivers a correctly aimed blow.
An article ‘Good News for the Salmon Industry’ in a recent Fiskeriforskning newsletter confirms that the current method using CO2 will be banned from 1 July 2008.
More details about the device including videos of it in operation can be seen here.
One of the patents associated with the device may be accessed here.
Parasitic nematodes are microscopic and present major problems in the fish filleting industry. Scientists have discovered that light sensors and automation can be combined to deliver a better fillet.
Separating a high quality fish fillet from one of lower quality is an art. It is generally done by hand, based as the fish is being processed.
But a new machine has been trialled on the production of cod fillets to identify defective fillets. Scientists at Nofima Marine have discovered that light can be used to distinguish between high and low quality fillets.
Light
“What we are doing is to illuminate the fish with white light and then use a spectrometer,” says Scientist Karsten Heia.
“In other words, we measure the light coming from the fish, also at wavelengths the eye can’t see.”
Parasitic nematodes, traces of skin remnants, black lining and blood influence the light differently and these differences are registered by the spectrometer. This information is then conveyed to a computer that controls the sorting of the fish fillets.
Why spectroscopy?
This technology fulfils the industry’s requirement for speed. The technology does not affect the fillet and is suitable for detecting quality faults.
“It’s important that the fish is untouched by human hands as it were,” says Heia.
“Earlier this year, the research team tested the machine at a fish processing plant in Vesterålen. We needed to find out whether the machine functioned in commercial production and not just in the lab.”
“The process needs to go so rapidly that the fish can follow the tempo on a normal production line,” says Heia. “Much of the challenge with inventing this has really been to get the machine to work at this speed.”
Requirement
The Norwegian fillet industry has struggled in recent years to earn money and the competition from overseas is increasing.
“It is precisely here than the new machine can assist the industry in Norway,” says Heia.
“I don’t think job losses will result from the industry utilising such a method, but it can be an opportunity to get a far improved sorting of fish and as such improve the quality of the product you and I buy at the fish shop.”
The research was conducted at Nofima. Nofima is a new industry-oriented research group that conducts research and development for aquaculture, fisheries and food industries. Nofima was launched on 22 May 2008 by the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen.
German company Baader was part of the team that developed this new knowledge. Baader is a world leader in machines for the fishing industry.
The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund and Baader.
The challenge of achieving high quality while processing large volumes of product at high speed is a key issue for the Finfish project. Are you aware of any other projects which have demonstrated the ability to make a strong contribution towards achieving this aim?
Source: Nofima
Nigel Edwards, Technical Director of Seachill, presented a clear set of insights on the priorities held by large retailers and processors in seeking to meet the needs of their customers. As a result of rapidly evolving customer priorities, these are the innovation challenges from the retailer/processor point of view:
- The industry must maintain the considerable nutritional benefits from eating farmed fish and provide for increased demand despite the stable or declining feed fish stocks
- All feed raw materials must be demonstrably sustainable, we need a responsible sourcing standard for feed producers
- There is a need to reduce the contaminants in fishmeal and oil
- The top line feed conversion ratio could be improved
- It is unacceptable to enhance the human nutritional benefits by genetic modification of fish
Improving the ratio of conversion of feed fish to farmed fish should be a research priority but not at the expense of
- fish health
- human nutrition, (especially EPA and DHA content)
- intrinsic quality of the final product
- cost of production
Reduce cost of production by
- automation
- improved feed conversion
- reduced mortality
- lower energy use
- lower feed wastage
Improve fish welfare by:
- introducing new vaccines
- improved fish handling techniques
- instantaneous stunning prior to slaughter
Other innovation priorities:
- introduce new species to aquaculture especially those that have a low cost of production
- Support development of organic standards for all species and assist farmers to be efficient within organic farming regime
As well as working for Seachill (part of the Icelandic Group), Nigel is a member of the GLOBALGAP Aquaculture Sector Committee. GLOBALGAP is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe.
Nigel’s March 2007 presentation can be viewed here.
