Shinkejime
Shinkeijime is one of the best ways to stop the stress progressing through the body and to halt the effect of lactic acid. A wire is inserted, or pressurised air is injected through the spine and this damages the nerve system and stops the survival message passing through the body.
Head Piercing
This is a quick method to paralyse the fish and stop the survival message. The brain of the fish is pierced using a spike, a knife or a harpoon.
Percussive Stunning
This method is used in the salmon and trout industry. It is traditionally performed manually by a single blow to the head of each fish using a bat or a hammer. In recent years, some sophisticated machines have been developed in order to control the effectiveness of the stunning.
Spinal Cutting
This method is used to cut the spine behind the gill flap and so stops the nerve message passing through the body. The cutting action also severs the artery under the spine and this starts the bleeding process. Hand-operated and automatic machines have been developed to carry out this method.