FILLETING MACHINES

Filleting machines are available commercially for a number of white fish and for herring. Because of the considerable differences in shape and structure between species, and the need to remove the maximum amount of bonefree flesh, filleting machines are usually designed to process only one or two species, and to make only one kind of product, for example single fillets or block fillets. Accurate fish measuring mechanisms are essential so that cutters automatically adjust precisely to any size of fish within the range of the machine. Machines can rarely do better than hand filleters in obtaining maximum yield, but higher output often compensates for slight loss of yield; for example very few herring are hand filleted nowadays. In the table below the figures for yield of white fish fillet are those quoted by the machines makers, but variations in size and freshness of the whole fish may sometimes make these figures difficult to obtain in practice.

The Baader 181 and 183 take fish with heads on and remove the head in the sequence of operations; all the other models require the fish to be headed first. Matched heading machines are available for use with most of these filleting machines.

The sequence of events in a herring filleting machine is usually removal of the head, and tail, followed by the cutting of a block fillet. Which can be split into two single fillets by a further cut if required. Particulars of three commercial models are given below.

Filleting machines for herring

Capacity depends on the number of operators feeding the machine, and whether an automatic feeder is used. Both makes of machine can be kept running by only one operator when the herring are fed automatically. The Baader machine requires two operators to feed it by hand; the Arenco can accommodate up to four hand feeders.

Exercise 2.Say if these sentences are true or false. If they are false give the correct answer:

1. Filleting machines are available commercially only for salmon.

2. Accurate fish measuring mechanisms are essential so that cutters automatically adjust precisely to any size of fish within the range of the machine.

3. Capacity does not depend on the number of operators feeding the machine.

4. The sequence of events in a herring filleting machine is usually the cutting of a block fillet, followed by removal of the head.

5. Machines can always do better than hand filleters in obtaining maximum yield.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions to the text:

1. Why are filleting machines usually designed to process only one or two species?

2. Why are accurate fish measuring mechanisms essential for fish filleting?

3. What companies produce fish filleting machines?

4. What is the difference between the models?

5. What does the capacity depend on?

Exercise 4. Express the main idea of the text in some sentences.

TEXT 2

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text in written form: