Fish factory

A fish factory, also known as a fish plant or fish processing facility, is a facility in which fish processing is performed. Fish factories process a variety of fish, each species requires specific methods of processing to ensure consumer safety and product quality.[1] The location of a fish factory will impact production by determining the availability of certain species of fish, the most frequently used methods of processing, investments made into processing equipment, and the products produced.

Fish factories range in the size and in the range of fish species which they process.[2] Some species of fish, such as mackerel and herring, and can be caught at sea by large pelagic trawlers and offloaded to factories within a few days of being caught. Alternatively, fish can be caught by freezer trawlers that freeze fish before providing it to factories, or by factory ships which can do the processing themselves on board. Some fish factories have fishing vessels that catch fish for them at a given times of the year. This has to do with conflicting quotas and seasons that impact when certain fish can be landed and how much can be caught within those time frames.