Regulations require the creation or the standardising of a conditioning/processing unit,  for the dispatch and marketing of the shellfish and fishery products. In general, they must conform to the standards of the European Directive of July 15, 1991 91/492/CCE. These buildings should not be close to any sources of unpleasant odors, fumes or any other pollutants.  The sites must not be at a risk of flooding.  The finish of the building, the equipment used and any handling must not lead to the products being contaminated. Dimensions of the premises must allow room for walking with a reception room for the products and a room to preserve the fish or the shellfish so that they are sheltered from  heat while they are waiting to be dispatched. Clean and dirty sectors must be kept quite separate and circulation should not overlap. The ground, the walls and the ceiling must be made with a material which is smooth and easy to clean.  Ventilation must be good. Lighting must be good. No undesirable animals must have access to the buildings. An installation of pressurised drinking water  in sufficient quantities must be planned with plenty of water supples which are conveniently arranged. No controls of the wash-hand basins is manual. The cloakrooms and the WC should not access directly into the place of work. The temperature in the work areas must be 20° C.

The standards for the use of the equipment and the maintenance of the buildings require that conditioning and packaging should be carried out in a way so as to avoid any contamination of the products. The materials used must conform to the standards in force. The packaging materials must be stored in a separate room from the production area and ahould be protected from soiling. Used packaging should not be used again, except certain containers which are easy to clean and disinfect (i.e. plastic boxes). The cleaning and disinfection products must be stored in a cupboard locked with a key. The work area, the materials and the tools should be used only for the conditioning of the fish or shellfish. The means of transport used must be clean, and must permit the maintenance of the food products at the correct temperature throughout the journey.

All arrangements must be taken so that any waste and washing water does not create a harmful effect. The circulation ways between the various parts of the center must be kept clean, with no stagnant water. Waste is collected in a hygienic way in a separated area which is covered and adapted for this job. It is disposed from the buildings at the close of each working day at least or is dealt with by a specialized service.

The personnel must be in a perfect state of cleanliness and under medical supervision so as to avoid any contamination, and if necessary they should isolated from work and any handling of the products until they are no longer a risk.

The species of fish must be recognized automatically and very quickly by an optical camera which is linked to a computer which discriminates the morphological characteristics and controls the mechanical conveying system, the slides and the ejection valves (it is slaved to acomputerised electromechanical system).The optical sorting of dead fish (species selection) functions all the better if the species have typical shapes which are easy to identify.   

Particularly innovative equipment which makes the sorting by weight of live or dead fish possible, whatever their shape or size. Management of production is optimised, due to sorting by weight at the rearing site, by weight and quantitative statistics, as well as a possible connection to the data processing management.   This type of equipment requires only one operator, shortens the time that the fish is out of water and assigns a direct exit from the tank.   Characteristics :  Dimensions 7 m x 1.50 m x 1.70 m - flow -1800 to 6000 fish / hour - accuracy 10 to 25 g.   Design :  Equipment designed for work in a  marine atmosphere - mobile on the site - adaptable to all rearing operations (bass, turbot, sturgeon, trout...).