METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING A DEAD FISH

摘要

In order to sever heads of fish or, in the case of pre-decapitated fish coll ar bones remaining on the torso from the torso at a preset location (38) with a blade (11) whose cutting edge runs transversely to the orientation of the fish, the fish must be aligned relative to the blade's cutting plane (39). Since in known methods and apparatus and particularly regarding differing fi sh size difficulties occur in precisely engaging the fish for the purpose of displacing them as well as due to their deformation in obtaining the correct positioning, it is proposed that the fish be gripped in form-locking relationship at a dimensionally stable location such as the head by a movabl e positioning device (4) and displaced in a direction towards the cutting plan e (39)until the preset location (38) lies in the cutting plane. To this end a positioning device (4) is provided which can be brought into form-locking engagement with a dimensionally stable location of the fish and which has a slide mechanism that aligns the fish. Thus alignment can be achieved automatically avoiding inaccuracies by an operator, on the one hand, and without any unwanted shifting of the cutting point which often occurs following elastic deformations of the fish body, on the other.