Heading and Gutting of Capelin With Special Hand Shears

The hand shears traditionally used for heading and gutting sardines in Mediterranean canneries were shown to increase the heading rate for capelin to about four times that prevailing in Newfoundland plants, where simple knives are used. The shears could greatly increase production efficiency in canning capelin, small herring, smelt, and other inland species at small Canadian plants and could be useful in experimental laboratories and households, especially those of sports fishermen and fish food enthusiasts.