Value Chain
Harvest and processing
Before harvest, it is important to keep a strong focus on animal welfare, and avoid stressing the fish when the harvest date approaches. This helps ensure top product quality.
Human harvesting
Fish may be brought live to the processing plant, or they may be prepared on site in a harvest boat. In both cases, they are quickly and humanely stunned and killed.
At the processing plant the fish are gutted, cleansed and washed, then graded by size and quality. Whole fish (head-on, gutted) are put in boxes and packed in ice to be sent to customers. The total processing process takes approximately 2-3 hours.
Some of our regions also process value-added products, such as frozen portions and smoked salmon.
Quality controls
Major keys to product quality are an efficient harvesting process, quick cooling of harvested fish and hygienic conditions. Cermaq conducts frequent quality control tests on harvesting plants to check temperatures and hygiene, the quality of ice, and the quality of fresh water.
Cermaq also tests fish before and during harvest to make sure that the product we deliver meets the strictest standards for quality and food safety.
