{"id":4749,"date":"2022-01-26T15:12:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T15:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peruza.com\/?p=4749"},"modified":"2022-08-08T16:14:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T14:14:14","slug":"small-fish-processing-for-human-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peruza.com\/blog\/fish-processing\/small-fish-processing-for-human-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Fish Processing For Human Consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

What factors do you consider before deciding what type of fish to have for dinner? Probably its taste nuances, ways of cooking, and maybe even the calories it contains. But have you ever thought about how sustainable is the fish you\u2019re planning to cook? Is it organic? Where it\u2019s from, etc.?<\/span><\/p>

Many of us usually don\u2019t spend time thinking about what the fish itself might have eaten throughout its life. The truth is, many fishes nowadays have been fed with mechanically processed fishmeal and fish oil that\u2019s not the healthiest option for humans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

What is fishmeal and what is it made from?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Fishmeal<\/span><\/a> is a commercial product that\u2019s made from small and \u201cbony trash fish\u201d, that are low in the food chain. It is produced by drying and grinding these small fishes. If the fish used for fishmeal is a fatty fish, before drying, it is pressed to extract most of the fish oil. This brown fishmeal powder is widely used as a fertilizer, and it is also being fed to poultry, pigs, and other farmed fish.<\/span><\/p>

About 90% of world fish meal production is produced from oily species of fish, like sardine, anchovy, capelin, and menhaden, but less than 10% are made from white fish offal, such as cod and haddock.<\/span><\/p>

Most of the fishes that are later used for fishmeal, are the so-called \u201cbycatches\u201d \u2014 meaning, they were caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of fish.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

More than \u00bc of wild seafood is used for fishmeal production<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Many fisheries still to this day think that small fishes have no place in human consumption because they are \u201cbony\u201d and have lesser meat than the bigger ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Though, <\/span>recent research<\/span><\/a> has found that these smaller fishes that are processed into fishmeal and fish oil, are <\/span>very valuable for human consumption<\/span><\/a>. These types of fish, especially sardines and anchovies, are rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies can\u2019t produce on their own. These small fish are also an amazing source of calcium, protein, and even vitamin D, as well as are rich in minerals and other nutrients, like iron, zinc, and magnesium.<\/span><\/p>

The problem is, that <\/span>every year <\/span>20 million tons<\/b><\/a> (or a whopping quarter) of wild seafood are being used in fishmeal production, rather than directed to human consumption. But why is the fishmeal industry so worrying?<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Farm\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Source: <\/span>Freepik<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Problem #1: We can\u2019t be sure about what\u2019s inside the fish we consume<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Fishmeal is considered a cheaper protein option, that\u2019s why many farm animals and farmed fish are being fed with it. It can make animals and fish grow bigger and get meatier faster, which is what essentially every farmer would want, right?<\/span><\/p>

Even though fishmeal has in some way high nutritional properties, that still isn\u2019t a healthy supplement for either animals or humans. Fishmeal is highly processed. In the wild, fish consume fresh plants, seaweed, or other aquatic creatures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In fact, poorly processed fishmeal can cause many health hazards for both humans and animals. For example, when the fishmeal gets overheated, <\/span>it produces a toxic substance called gyserosinis<\/span><\/a>, which causes many health issues to the animal that it\u2019s being fed to.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Problem #2: 90% of fish used for fishmeal could be used for human consumption<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

That\u2019s right \u2014 approximately <\/span>90% of all fish that we use for fishmeal can (and should!) be used to feed humans<\/b>, especially those in developing countries that are suffering from hunger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Instead, we take these fishes, mechanically process them into fishmeal and feed farmed seafood and other farm animals with it. We even use it to fertilize the soil.<\/span><\/p>

The problem is that for most people (especially Americans) large, meaty fishes with a mild flavor are more demanded, therefore it is thought that small fishes are quite useless for human consumption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

To meet the seafood market demand, fisheries focus only on catching the bigger fishes, throwing the smaller ones away (or processing them into fishmeal and fish oils).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Problem #3: It\u2019s highly unsustainable<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Sardines, anchovies, and herring are little fish that have evolved to endure severe predation. They’re basically the underwater equivalents of bunnies and mice. That, of course, doesn\u2019t mean that there’s an infinite supply of them, but they reproduce considerably faster than larger predatory fish.<\/span><\/p>

Wild predatory fish, such as salmon and tuna, are extremely unsustainable to consume. The supply of wild salmon has been decreased due to overfishing. Farming has now become a realistic solution to meet the demand for predatory fish. Fish farming is also fraught with a plethora of unsustainable challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Farm-raised fish is also less nutritious than wild-caught fish, and it has the potential to pollute our water sources. They are more susceptible to parasites and diseases. And, even more so, if pests from farms escape into the wild, they can endanger the health of native species.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Why aren\u2019t we using small fish for human consumption?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Now that many studies have shown the benefits of consuming small fish without making them into fishmeal, one of the reasons we still aren\u2019t really selling them for direct human consumption is the lack of ability to process small fish.<\/span><\/p>

Meaning, most seafood processing equipment is able to automatically process bigger fish. Usually, older-type fish processing machines have fixed-size pockets for all fish, making the cuts inaccurate. And if you put a smaller fish in a large pocket that\u2019s fixed to cut the head off at a certain distance, there won\u2019t be much left from the fish meat itself.<\/span><\/p>

On the other hand, processing all the small fishes by hand, using human labor, isn\u2019t the best solution both money and efficiency-wise.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"fresh\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Source: <\/span>Freepik<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

What about PERUZA\u2019s drum-type nobbing machine?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Acknowledging this problem in the industry, our engineers here, at PERUZA, have worked on finding the solution. That\u2019s how we came up with our <\/span>Drum-type nobbing machine<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

The technology is designed as a high-capacity small fish nobbing equipment, that can process up to 900 small pelagic fish per minute! This intuitive and effective equipment can <\/span>significantly reduce the costs of the company\u2019s production<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Our drum-type nobbing line is perfectly suited for processing fish in the length of 90 \u2013 140 mm, such as sprats, anchovies, capelin, and others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Other benefits?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

PERUZA\u2019s drum-type nobbing machine for small fish has even more benefits than already mentioned above. Some of them include:<\/span><\/p>