On the Boat

Handling Fish Gently

From the moment it is pulled from the water, fish should be handled carefully and kept cool and moist. Rough handling can make a difference in the price you get for your catch. Fish should not be bruised, cut or damaged in any way. Do not use a shovel to move large fish. Do not use a fork to move fish either. It can cut into the flesh and make it go bad more quickly.

Keeping Fish Cold

Fish begins to go bad or decay very quickly once it’s out of the water. The fish must be kept at 4°C (39°F) or colder. The best way to get and keep fish this cold is to refrigerate it or put it on ice in a tote.
It is best to use flaked ice so the flesh of the fish isn’t cut by rough edges and damaged. Flaked ice is also lighter so it won’t crush the fish that are lower in the tote.

Here are some tips on what you can do on the boat to keep the fish you pull in fresh and safe to eat before it gets to the fish processing plant. These steps will help you get top prices for your final product and reduce the amount of fish that has to be thrown away.

Points to Remember:

• The five steps you must follow to clean your totes completely
• The benefits to you, as a fisherman, for handling fish properly and keeping it cool

Layering the Fish

Layering the fish as shown in the diagram here – a layer of ice, a layer of fish, then ice, then fish – will help you make sure that each fish is completely chilled. It will also help prevent the fish from being damaged

Here’s how to layer:

1. Cover the bottom of the empty tote with a few inches of flaked ice.
2. Lay the fish in a single layer, making sure that one does not cover another.
3. Cover the fish completely with another few inches of ice.
4. Add another layer of fish, making sure that one does not cover another.

Continue making layers until you reach the top of the tote. The top layer should be ice. Each tote should have a lid that can be tightly closed to slow the melting of ice and to help prevent contamination.

Cleaning Totes

Totes must be cleaned and sanitized each time you unload them. Here’s how to do it:

1. Empty and Clean the Tote
   Dump the tote and clean out any large pieces of waste or ice.
   
   
2. Rinse and Disinfect the Tote
   Use a hose to remove any smaller pieces of waste that may be stuck in the tote. Rinsing the tote also prepares it for the cleaner.
   

You will have to read the directions on the label of your cleaner bottle and mix it with the right amount of warm water. Scrub the inside of the tote with the cleaner and water. The label on the cleaning solution will also tell you how long it should be left on before rinsing.

3. Rinse the Tote Again
   It is important to rinse the tote after cleaning. Cleaning products and other chemicals may be toxic. They could contaminate the ice and your next load of fish if any remain on the tote from the cleaning process. Spray the entire tote with hot water to remove all of the cleaner.
   
   
4. Sanitize the Tote
   Sanitizer helps kill any bacteria that may be left behind. Remember to read the label on the bottle of sanitizer carefully and use it as directed.
   
   
5. Dry the Tote
   The final step is to dry the tote. Bacteria grow more quickly on wet surfaces, so it is important to make sure the tote is completely dry before loading it again.

What is contamination?

Food that is contaminated is not safe to eat.

Food can become contaminated when harmful bacteria or chemicals move from:

• people or equipment onto food, or
• from one food to another