Butchering – Slaughtering – Sticking
Patent
1997-12-29
1999-12-14
Little, Willis
Butchering
Slaughtering
Sticking
452 54, 452 67, A22C 2506
Patent
active
060010118
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a fish harvester and especially but not exclusively to a fish harvester for reducing the stress to fish immediately preceding slaughter.
At present fish such as farmed salmon and trout are slaughtered manually by insertion of the thumb behind an outer gill cover and inwards towards the main artery which runs between the gills and the body of the fish. Severing this artery results in death of the fish. Slaughter of fish in this way is relatively slow and is thus stressful to the fish. In addition it is relatively time consuming since each fish must be handled and slaughtered manually. A method of slaughtering fish in a more humane, less stressful and quicker fashion is therefore desirable.
Since fish such as salmon and trout are often marketed on appearance it is commercially important that slaughtering such fish should not involve an unduly large amount of external damage to the fish and should leave the final presentation of the fish of a high standard.
It is known that an effective method of slaughtering animals is to insert a spike into the brain. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,043 describes apparatus for killing and holding catfish including a spike adapted to be driven into the head of the fish by being hit with a mallet. The catfish is retained by insertion into a V-shaped groove in a plate substantially perpendicular to the axis of the fish such that the pectoral fins of the catfish engage the inclined edges of the groove and prevent the fish from moving relative to the groove. The apparatus is designed to securely hold each catfish for a considerable length of time enabling, for example, skinning of the fish. Each fish must be manually inserted into the groove. The physiology of many fish does not provide pectoral fins which would enable the fish to be retained by the disclosed apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,919 also provides apparatus for killing a catfish by driving a spike into the head of the catfish. The spike is attached to a lever which may pivot relative to a base upon which the fish is laid and the spike is driven into the head of the fish by manually applying a force to the lever. A box-like structure is provided to accommodate the head of the fish.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a fish harvester comprising a fish accommodating space having entrance means to allow insertion of a fish and exit means to allow removal of a fish; positioning and retaining means for positioning a fish; a slaughtering member for contact with some portion of a fish; and driving means for driving said slaughtering member.
Preferably, said slaughtering member comprises a blade adapted to sever one or more blood vessels of said fish.
Preferably, said slaughter member includes spike means adapted to impact said fish.
Preferably, said spike means slaughters said fish by damaging the brain of said fish.
Preferably, said slaughter member is adapted to inject a fluid into said fish.
Alternatively, said slaughter member may be adapted to apply a vacuum to some part of said fish.
The spike means may comprise a solid spike.
The spike means may include a rigid main spike portion and a movable subsidiary spike portion adapted to be movable relative to said solid spike portion after insertion into said fish.
Preferably, there is provided a severing member adapted to sever one or more blood vessels of said fish in order to allow bleeding of said fish.
Preferably, said severing member is adapted to pass between a gill cover and the body or head of said fish.
Alternatively, said severing member may be adapted to pass into the mouth of said fish.
The severing member may be adapted to pass into the throat of said fish.
Preferably, said severing member is adapted to sever a major artery of said fish.
The positioning and retaining means may comprise one or more shaped sections of a wall defining said fish accommodating space.
Preferably, said positioning and retaining means comprises at least one movable fish engaging member adapted to engage said fish.
Pre
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Little Willis
Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH & Co KG
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