Quality Assurance in the Fishing Industry with Emphasis on the Future Use of Vision Techniques

Abstract

Integrated quality assurance is highly dependent on the physical conditions onboard fishing vessels, and on the processing as well as the distribution chain. Time and temperature are the dominant factors for maintaining the high quality of freshly caught fish. A precondition for a quality assurance system in the fishing industry is optimal on-board handling of the chilled fish. Application of vision technique might have a future because of its accuracy in measuring the length of the fish, the speed, and the possibility of differentiating between species. Vision techniques are also researched for trimming and portioning of fillets after weight in combination with a sensor-guided robot. In view of health and hygiene aspects, there exists, at the moment, a rather comprehensive quality control program in the industry; it also covers the inspection of sensory attributes such as taste/odor, texture, and appearance.