Processing on board

The vessels of PFA members range in length from 60 to 140 metres. About 80% of the capacity of a freezer-trawler is used for sorting, processing, freezing and cold-storage on-board, and the catch capacity is limited by the freezing capacity per 24 hours. This fluctuates among the PFA member vessels between less than 100 t/day for the smaller ones, up to over 250 t/day for the bigger vessels.  Other fleets’ vessels without freezing facilities can catch a lot more per day – up to 1,000 t/day in some cases.
  
Working conditions on our vessels are safe. The ships typically have 35 to 50 people on-board, working four-hour shifts. Depending on the catch and the weather, fishing trips take 3 to 4 weeks.