Method and apparatus for processing fish into transverse sections

Abstract

An apparatus for processing a fish body into a plurality of transverse fish body section includes a plurality of spaced apart vertically standing work stations, each including a structural frame that supports a continuous rail or runway. The runway includes inclined sections that extend between the work station thereby defining an inclined travel path between the work stations. A wheeled carriage is movably mounted upon the runway and includes a set of spring loaded jaws for holding a fish body section to be processed. The carriage is movably mounted upon the runway so that the carriage can travel from one work station to the next in a sequential fashion. Each work station has a section of rail connected to the inclined runway which is at a lower elevation than the previous work station by a dimension which is equal to the thickness of the fish body section to be processed. Each work station may include a cutting blade such as, for example, a rotary band saw. The saws are at a constant elevation. As the fish body is moved from work station to work station it is lowered from one rail section to the next so that a series of transverse fish body sections are cut beginning with a cut at the tail area and ending with a cut just below the head. The fish to be processed are preferably preliminarly graded into groups of substantially similar size and weight so that transverse fish slabs of similar size are collected at each respective work station.