Fresh salmon-cleaning machine

In a machine for cleaning beheaded fish including fish-cleaning apparatus having arranged sequentially a slitter means for slitting open the belly cavity of the fish, a stationery eviscerating means for evisceratind the fish, and belly cavity scouring means for cleaning the belly cavity;

• and elongated transport means having two conjointly moving endless belt with adjacent substantially horizontal stretches disposed in substantially parallel vertical planes space apart to hold a fish therebetween and to move through the fish-cleaning apparatus beheaded end first in belly down attitude, the improvement comprising;
• an elongated projection extending from the eviscerating means toward the slitter means for penetration into the upper portion of the belly cavity adjacent to the back bone for scooping the viscera out of the cavity,
• said projection having a cross-sectional profile adapted to support the side and upper walls of the belly cavity as the fish is moved thereover,
• mounting means for mounting said eviscerating means for selective vertical adjustment about a horizontal pivot to adjust the elevation of said projection to accommodate fish of varying sizes, and
• said eviscerating means including sidewalls in contact with the sidewalls of the belly cavity and having grooves formed therein and inclined downwardly in the direction of travel of the fish with the upper edges thereof forming scraping edges for scraping the opposite inner sides of the belly cavity held there against by said endless belts.

An apparatus for flushing the belly cavity of an eviscerated forwardly moving fish comprising:

• rotary brush means mounted for rotation within the belly wall for contacting the underside of the back bone of a moving fish
• stationary elongated rail means mounted adjacent to said rotary brush for receiving the moving fish and, for engaging the belly cavity of the fish,
• said rail means having a cross-sectional profile adapted for supporting the side and upper walls of the belly cavity of the fish as it moves forwardly thereover;
• spray nozzles mounted within said rail means for spraying in an outward direction;
• said spray nozzles being recessed from the top surface of said rail means;
• and
• water supply means for supplying water to said nozzles, whereby said belly cavity is held open during flushing and said nozzles are maintained out of contact with the belly walls to prevent clogging thereof.

In a machine for eviscerating a fish without damaging the roe therein, the combination comprising;

• transport means contacting the sides of the fish for holding the fish in a generally upright belly-down position and moving the fish in a longitudinal, forward head-first direction parallel to the length of the fish,
• slitter means mounted in the path of movement of the fish for slitting the belly wall of the fish as it is transported thereover,
• an elongated infeed support means operatively associated with said transport means, and positioned to contact and support the belly of the moving fish,
• said slitter means being mounted closely adjacent the inboard terminal end of the support means, whereby the fish belly wall is vertically supported in a position to be contacted by said slitter means at a preselected elevation,
• a slitter guard overlying the slitter means and having a portion extending beyond the slitter means, above the level of and adjacent to the terminal end of said support means in the path of the portion of the belly cavity below the viscera and roe for protrusion into the belly cavity above the belly wall before the belly wall is engaged by the slitter means,
• an eviscerating means including an elongated projection extending toward the slitter means for penetration into the upper portion of the fish belly cavity adjacent the backbone for scooping the viscera and roe therefrom for gravity assisted removal from the belly cavity,
• said projection having a cross-sectional profile adapted to support the side and upper walls of the belly cavity as the fish is moved thereover, and
• blade means mounted adjacent the end of said eviscerating means opposite said slitter means for cutting open the kidney membrane in the upper portion of the fish cavity as the fish is transported thereover.

Apparatus for slitting the belly wall of a fish from the head end to the vent end to open the belly cavity without damage to the roe therein, the combination comprising;

• transport means for holding the fish in a generally upright belly-down position and moving the fish in a longitudinal, forward head-first direction parallel to the length of the fish,
• slitter means mounted in the path of movement of the fish for slitting the belly wall of the fish as it is transported thereover,
• an elongated infeed support means operatively associated with said transport means and positioned to contact and support the belly of the moving fish,
• said slitter means being mounted closely adjacent the inboard terminal end of the support means, whereby the belly wall is vertically supported in a position to be contacted by said slitter means at a preselected elevation, and
• a slitter guard overlying the slitter means and having a portion extending beyond the slitter means, above the level of and adjacent to the terminal end of said support means, and means mounting said slitter guard such that said slitter guard portion extends in the path of the lower portion of the belly cavity below the viscera and roe for protrusion in the belly cavity above the belly wall before the belly wall is engaged by the slitter means,
• and eviscerating means downstream of the slitter means mounted for penetration into the upper portion of the belly cavity adjacent the backbone for dislodging the viscera and roe therefrom for removal from the belly cavity.