September 27, 2007

 

Norway's salmon plants may adopt new slaughter machine

 

 

Salmon processing plants may have to adopt a machine available now that slaughters salmon quickly and humanely, according to Norway's salmon research agency Fiskeriforskning

The current method in use, CO2, would be banned in July next year.

 

Industry-scale trials have been carried out at one of Marine Harvest's salmon farming plants. The salmon are pumped up directly from the pens to a vessel that had been especially outfitted for the trials.

 

Trials were also carried out using a system where the salmon swim directly into the slaughtering machine.

 

The machine, made in Australia, kills the salmon instantaneously with a blow to the head, said Senior Researcher Kjell Midling of Fiskeriforskning.

 

The salmon is then cut for bleeding, and transported to a tank containing cold, sterile seawater where it is bled out.
 
The system took into account the welfare of the fish while at the same time ensures efficiency and optimum product quality, he said.

 

The system was also required to have at least the same standard of hygiene as a land-based plant.

 

In order to reduce the risk of contamination, all blood and waste materials from the slaughtering process would be stored in on-board tanks.

 

Previous trials showed that the quality of the fish is improved when unnecessary stressful situations prior to slaughter are avoided.

 

A further advantage is that it takes considerably longer for rigor mortis to set in, and the degree of rigor mortis would be weakened.

 

This allows a considerably longer period of time for the filleting process, thus ensuring freshness.

This method is advantageous in Southern Norway where high sea temperatures mean that the salmon is much more vulnerable when being handled, Midling said.

 

The project was commissioned by The Norwegian Seafood Federation and is financed by The Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund.