284 PRESERVATION METHODS 



on a cutting board placed next to a sink. The fillets may be washed briefly 

 in a dilute salt solution and drained for packing or may be transferred 

 directly from the filleting board to the flat fillet tin, which holds 15 or 

 20 pounds. 



Mechanization of the fillet plant is becoming increasingly important 

 because of the large volume of the operation, the relatively low yield of 



Figure 22.3. Filleting Pacific ocean porch m a Pacific Coast 

 processing plant. Note the disposal chute at the right, the incoming 

 fish on the lower belt, and the pans of fillets on the upper or discharge 

 belt. {Whiz-Eardley Fisheries Co.) 



the product (e.g., 25 per cent in many flat fish), and the stiff economic 

 competition from other protein foods and imported fishery products. A 

 typical filleting plant consists of a mechanical washer, which may also 

 scale the fish, a manual fillet line or a filleting machine, a washer and/or 

 briner, a draining table or belt, an inspection area, and a mechanized 

 packaging line. 



The washer often consists of a large inclined rotating cylindrical con- 



