Apparatus and method for ventral/dorsal alignment of fish

An apparatus for ventral/dorsal alignment of fish comprising:

• a first conveying device configured for conveying of fish head-first on their sides with a feed-in channel configured for guiding the fish in the conveying direction, said feed-in channel having a channel floor forming a first conveying plane,
• at least one guide roller arranged at a distance from the channel floor and configured for transversely positioning the fish in the feed-in channel, the at least one guide roller extending across the width of the feed-in channel and having at least one section with reduced cross-sectional diameter,
• wherein the channel floor in the center of the channel comprises a transfer recess, widening in the conveying direction, which is designed to transfer the fish by force of gravity to a guiding channel arranged below the first conveying plane by aligning in a predetermined ventral/dorsal position,
• wherein the guiding channel comprises lateral guide surfaces each arranged inclined with respect to the first conveying plane, and
• wherein a second conveying device forming a second conveying plane and configured to convey the fish on their sides, said second conveying device being arranged downstream of the guiding channel for taking over the fish at the end of said guiding channel.