After harvest/capture, fish may be subject to processes of microbial spoilage and proteolytic hydrolysis. These processes will be more rapid if fish are not gutted or adequately chilled/frozen.
Gutting on board fishing vessels may introduce the possibility of cross-contamination with human/enteric pathogens. Microbial spoilage of fish may, depending on both the species of fish and the bacteria present, result in the production of histamine to hazardous levels. Once formed, histamine remains a hazard during further processing, as it is heat stable and may not necessarily be associated with ‘off’ flavours or smells in the fish product. Histamine development is accelerated by temperature abuse or lack of chill storage on board.
