Coastal areas are popular sites for recreational fun and fantastic fishing. However, the City of Albany in Western Australia had one major problem to deal with - fish waste in the nearby waterways
Local fishermen were cleaning and filleting fish and disposing of the waste overboard. This waste not only stagnated in the water for days, but also attracted seals and stingrays that can become aggressive when feeding.
Faced with a situation of replacing what was a kitchen sink on rusty legs in the water, the Council turned to local ASSDA member, Austenitic Steel Products, to design and fabricate an innovative new stainless steel fish cleaning station for the Emu Point Boat Ramp.
The circular fish cleaning station is believed to be the first and only one of its design currently available in Australia and measures 1400mm in diameter and 1100mm high.
Produced in 316 stainless, the compact design allows six operators at a time and provides a safe environment with no corners or sharp edges.
All plumbing is internal with access only through a hatch on the face of the cone and fitted security locks. Waste water falls to the centre of the table and flows through a circular screen into a collection hopper before entering a two inch waste pipe concealed in the centre.
Initially, the station requires manual removal of offal, but when funding and municipal sewerage is available, the table can be modified to incorporate an automatic processor to pulverise offal into disposable liquid waste.
Albany City's $13,000 station project has generated interest from other Councils and looks set to appear in local boat launching areas, coastal caravan parks and seaside fishing locations throughout Australia.
This article featured in Australian Stainless magazine - Issue 26, November 2003.
