Importance

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Abstract

Horizontal conjointly moving endless belts have adjacent stretches disposed in parallel vertical planes to transport a beheaded fish clamped between them successively past a rotating circular belly slitter disc, an eviscerating gutter, a rotating kidney-slitting blooder disc, spray nozzles for scouring the eviscerated fish cavity, a rotating slimer brush which removes the kidney and a fish cavity washing assembly. A slitter guard protrudes into the fish cavity ahead of the slitter disc for holding the skin on the underside of the fish in the path of the slitter disc. Such slitter guard is rounded so that the tail end of the belly cavity rides up on the guard to prevent the slitter disc from cutting the bottom portion of the fish beyond its vent. The gutter engages the beheaded fish between its backbone and the majority of the viscera to scoop the viscera out of the cavity as the fish is moved over the gutter by the belts. The rotary blooder disc carries replaceable blades which have sharp edge portions extending beyond the periphery of the disc for cutting open the kidney membrane of the fish. The spray nozzles discharge fan-shaped sprays and are mounted in countersunk bores of a visceral spray assembly. The cavities and nozzles are positioned so that the nozzles spray water throughout 360.degree. to scour the eviscerated fish cavity thoroughly without the nozzles becoming clogged.

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First Claim