Fish processing companies and those looking to do business with them can take advantage of the many fish processing information sources available. You can find out where to locate fish processing plants, where the industry events are as well as what standards commercial fish processing are held to.

Seafood processing companies are just one part of a large chain that may involve you as a fisherman on the front end or a buyer (e.g. for a restaurant or for resale) or consumer on the back end. Wherever your link falls, be knowledgeable about the industry and what your role is in it. Be prepared to discuss the field at your next business dinner, in the boardroom or at your next trade event.

To find out more about seafood processing companies basics:

1. Attend a commercial fish processing industry event.

2. Be knowledgeable about regulations, both state and federal, for fish processors.

3. Branch out from just fish and see what other species your seafood processing company has to offer.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Attend an event for fish processors

Go to a fish processing industry event. Attend a trade show, or sign up for a workshop or seminar for continuing education in the field.

I recommend: Plan on attending or exhibiting at Seafood Processing America, which is co-located with The International Boston Seafood Show. Learn about new responsibility guidelines for leaders in the fishing industry at GRI Workshops.

Stay one step ahead of fish processing

Be knowledgeable about regulations apply to fish processing companies in your state. Depending on what your business does, you may fall under local, state and federal regulations when it comes to the sanitation and/or transportation of your seafood items.

I recommend: Find out about Seafood processors' cleaning and sanitation standards information from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Learn about the Food and Safety Sanitation Program in the Seafood Processing section for the state of Alaska.

See what other options seafood processors have to offer

From shellfish processing to shrimp processing companies and more, the ocean is bigger than just the fish processing industry. Branch out to offer higher end items for a bigger mark up.

I recommend: Learn about shellfish handling from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Check out SC Shrimp Processing & Biotechnologies, one of the many shrimp processing companies available nationally who offer value added information to help you in your industry search.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take advantage of fish processing events to source seafood contacts, equipment and products, check out the newest products on the market all in one place, meet with all your suppliers, build new business leads as well as learn new strategies to help you keep your edge despite the current economic conditions.

Seafood processing companies can help your business grow by preserving seafood properly for a longer shelf life and offering a larger variety of uses for your seafood product. This could include canned, smoked, dried or other seafood processes.

To provide an expanded seafood product line to your customers you must first decide on the seafood processing services you require, compare seafood processing companies and learn where to buy processed fish and other processed seafood.

1. Decide on the seafood processing services that best suit your needs.

2. Compare seafood processing and shellfish processing companies.

3. Learn where to buy processed fish and seafood products, and where to process fish yourself.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide on the seafood processing services you require

Fish processing is the act of treating and preserving the fish and other seafood for longer shelf life and expanded uses. This includes increasing your product line to meet customer needs and increase your business. To decide on the seafood processing services you need, ask your customers, look over past orders and make some decision for your menu.

I recommend: Check out Alaska Seafoods Direct to get an idea of the processing applications available. They specialize in both wild game and sport fish processing in a variety of applications, including freezing, smoking and canning. Bella Coola Fisheries, Ltd. offers a wide selection of seafood treated in all the major methods and offers gift packs, fresh fish and other goods, like fish fertilizers.

Compare seafood processing companies

Check up on any fish processing company with which you wish to work to make sure they are part of an association. Another great way to learn more about a seafood processing plant is to ask for references or call around to other seafood distributors to see who they trust and use.

I recommend: Visit the Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA) for the listing of members, both corporate and associates, to find a reputable, successful fish processor on the Pacific Coast. You can also use Manta to get company profiles by entering the name of the seafood processor in which you're interested.

Learn where to buy processed fish and seafood products

Fish processors are found along all the US coasts and some are even floating processing plants, which ensures you are getting the freshest product that's been processed quickly. To find fish processing companies to fit your business needs, make sure the company you are considering offers the products you want.

I recommend: Golden Ocean Seafood, Inc., located in Chicago, Illinois, offers a large selection of processed seafood in a variety of applications. This includes frozen fillets, smoked fish, baked, roasted and canned. American Trading International offers a large selection of processed seafood specifically for retail businesses.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For the best results, take a survey of your current customers to find out what processed seafood they would like to buy.

A good beginning for seafood processing companies management education and training programs in your company is to have managers start at the bottom, with the entry-level skills that new hires are expected to master. Managers who have never processed fish commercially will need to have that knowledge as a solid introduction to their positions. Managers who moved up through the company, having started as seafood processors themselves, can take advantage of this review to recall any principles they may have forgotten.

The world's fish processing industry has become highly regulated and many countries are relying upon global standards to ensure food safety. HACCP training and certification is highly recommended for anyone serious about managing fish processors. As you search for ways to enrich your seafood processing companies management education and training, keep the following points in mind:

1. Know the basic skills that entry level workers in fish processor plants are required to have.

2. Complete formal coursework recommended for a seafood processing company manager.

3. Gain knowledge from quality management manuals prepared for seafood processing plant supervisors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Review basic skills of subordinate workers in fish processing companies

If you're starting out as an entry level seafood processing manager and your company does not require experience in seafood processing, you'll need to start out by knowing what kind of work seafood processors do.

I recommend: The Group Training Association of NSW has posted on its website a simple list of the job duties entry level seafood processors must perform. Read about the work required of seafood processors and the different kinds of seafood processing that the Alaska Department of Labor explains on its division of employment security page. Find out what seafood processor filleters and order pullers must do and the performance standards by which their work is judged at Ocean Beauty Seafoods.

Pursue online and classroom training in HACCP methodology for fish processors

Seafood processing companies in several countries are suggesting that their managers undergo HACCP training. This refers to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, a system for ensuring food safety that is especially critical for fish processing plants.

I recommend: HACCP Training.org provides online training courses in HACCP food safety methodology. Professional Food Safety offers online training, in-plant training and other formal courses that lead to certification in HACCP methodology. Access the online version of the HACCP training manual at the website for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

Study quality management plans prepared for training seafood processing plant managers

Seafood processing managers must know what is meant by the concept of quality as it refers to food processing. In particular, they must learn how to identify and describe their own management responsibilities, learn basic skills for shellfish processing managers and learn basic record keeping procedures.

I recommend: Learn what seafood processing organizations mean when they refer to the concept of quality by accessing the quality management plans put out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority require seafood processors in their countries to comply with.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider putting together an HACCP workshop where your fish processing managers can share their on the job experiences and the knowledge they have gained from any formal training they have taken.

For some, the words seafood processing conjure images of the Deadliest Catch television series, or perhaps even the fantasy of earning a year's income in several months spent at a remote fishery. Others may see seafood processing as a way of reaping a profit from the bounty of the sea. The truth is that while the seafood industry is often profitable, it's also hit and miss. The welfare of the entire industry depends on how much fish is caught, a matter for which there is simply no guarantee. Use these key words to help you get a basic understanding of how seafood processing companies work.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

At-sea processor

An at-sea processor, also known as a processing vessel, is a floating facility for processing seafood. Fishing ships can pull up to the at-sea processor, off-load their catches, and go back to fishing without having to be pulled into the dock. At-sea processors are capable of following the fishing boats to make the delivery time even shorter.

I recommend: The At-sea Processors Association is a trade association working with fishery managers, scientists, environmentalists and other industry members.

Quality inspection

QC, quality control and quality inspection are all the same thing: Inspection of a set percentage of processed fish to determine whether the quality is within acceptable levels, as gauged by such criteria as the presence or number of bones and parasites.

I recommend: The Meat Site details both the automated and human aspects of the quality control chain for processing seafood.

Isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis

Isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis (IEF) is a technique used to verify whether further processed seafood products in fact consist of the seafood species they are purported to contain. This is often the only way of verifying species once a product has been processed into its consumer-ready form.

I recommend: Microbac Laboratories gives a technical explanation of how imported seafood is subjected to species verification through IEF and how the technology works.

Water quality

As a processing term, water quality refers not to the quality of the water the fish came out of but the quality standards which water must meet to be used in seafood processing. Most seafood processing is done with water that meets drinking water standards, but these standards vary throughout the world.

I recommend: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations examines the standards and typical qualities of water used for fish processing throughout the world.

Shrimp industry

While seafood processing may bring to mind fish with fins, other creatures like crab and shrimp are also considered to be seafood and are often processed at the same facilities that process finned fish like pollock.

I recommend: About.com looks at the prominence of the shrimping industry by catch.

Surimi

Surimi is one of several regional specialties that are in high demand. Because fish destined for use as surimi must be processed differently than other fish, the ability to prepare them at an at-sea or land-based processing plant is considered a valuable asset in an employee.

I recommend: Surimi literally translates as washed minced fish. Alaska Seafood explains how it's processed, shaped, and prepared.