Fish factory

Fish factories are held accountable for their product quality and are subject to a variety of health and safety regulations.

[citation needed] Fish factories are indoor facilities that are temperature regulated, well ventilated, and often have multiple points of drainage.

In most countries the interiors of fish factories are white or light colored, water resistant and have tall ceilings that increase capacity and accommodate for machinery.

Some of the equipment that can be commonly found in fish factories are metal tables, wash basins, trays, buckets, crates, water hoses, conveyor belts, and other tools used for manual processing.

Due to the difficulty of preserving seafood and the easier access to water older factories would be located on coasts, riverbanks and lake shores.

Some of the oldest fish factories were outdoor facilities made of stone and wood, housing large wash basins and tables where delicate manual processing would take place.

As architectural methods of construction and technology improved eventually fish factories developed into tall, structurally re-enforced indoor facilities utilizing machinery and modern plumbing.

Some processes can be fully automated with the use of modern machinery, but others require more traditional methods of delicate and intensive manual labor.

The fish processing industry utilizes a considerable amount of energy and contributes to various global waste issues.

The consumption of energy used to operate machinery in fish factories and transport products produces carbon emotions and gracious pollutants.

Improper mitigation of waste and pollutant emotions from fish processing contributes to global warming and impacts local ecosystems.

Dumping can alter natural food webs and contribute to increased levels of carbon and nitrogen present in an ecosystems.

Coastal dumping in particular can increase oxygen consumption and negatively impacting biodiversity in the ocean and reducing the density of key organisms like benthos, plankton and nekton.

Small scale and remote factories can receive exemptions from landfilling restrictions and regulations due to convenience based on their location and lower output of waste in relation to larger facilities.

Prominent regulations that are most commonly enforced apply to water quality, machinery, facilities and employed workers.

These factors impact the nutritional value and percent of extractible organic compounds such as oils, lipids, fats, and collagen which can be obtained from a fish and its byproducts.

Different species have higher or lower contents of desired components and compounds, this influences how much of their weight becomes waste and impacts its’ byproduct usability for different purposes.

Small scale fish factory next to a pier at the NW end of the main road on the Kincasslagh Peninsula.
Small scale fish factory next to a pier at the NW end of the main road on the Kincasslagh Peninsula.