Industries — Seafood Processing
Whole fish, fillets, roe, brine, offal, ice: a seafood line throws all of it at a pump, often cold and salty at once. Get the match wrong and you bruise product, clog tight clearances, or corrode a housing inside a season. IPE fits each step to equipment that keeps product whole, shrugs off abrasion, and cleans back to spec.
The Hard Part
Seafood is abrasive, delicate, cold, and salty — often all at once. The pump that survives one of those conditions frequently fails the others. Four pressures shape every selection.
Bruised fillets, sheared roe, and broken pieces drop your grade and your price. Gentle handling isn't a nicety here — it's margin.
FDA and HACCP programs demand cleanable, crevice-free designs with full clean-in-place compatibility between runs.
Scales, bones, shell, ice, and whole pieces chew through standard pumps and clog tight clearances fast.
RSW, ice slurry, and salt brine demand corrosion-resistant stainless and pumps that run cold and wet continuously.
Step by Step
We aren't tied to one manufacturer, so we can match each step to the pump that actually fits it. Here's how a seafood line tends to break down.
Offloading and moving whole fish, shrimp, and shellfish without bruising or breakage. The hose is the only wetted part, so product glides through untouched.
How peristaltic pumps work →
Moving delicate cuts and whole-muscle product while holding shape and particle definition. Zero-slip pistons carry product without tearing.
How PD pumps work →
Very low-shear transfer for roe, surimi, minced, and paste — process steps where texture and yield are everything.
How PD pumps work →
High-flow transfer of refrigerated seawater, chill brine, and marinades through chilling, holding tanks, and dosing.
How centrifugal pumps work →
Clean-in-place return and sanitation cycles that keep the line compliant between runs, including CIP return with entrained air.
How centrifugal pumps work →
Enclosed collection and transport of offal, trimmings, skein, and waste — replacing augers and open conveyors with a sealed sanitary system.
How AODD pumps work →
High-throughput, abrasive, and viscous duty around fish oil and meal — from fish heads to dewatered solids.
How peristaltic pumps work →
Go deeper: compare pump types → | see all manufacturer lines →
Working With Us
The person selling you a single brand of pump can't tell you when that pump is the wrong call. We can, because we carry several lines and get paid either way.
Enviroflex, Ampco, Marlen, Lamella, VUMP and more under one roof. We put forward the pump that suits your product and your line, not the one we happen to stock the most of.
Every line we carry is built for cold, wet, hygienic work, with materials and finishes rated for direct food contact and full clean-in-place.
Offloading, transfer, dosing, CIP, offal, and the drives that run them. You deal with one partner who knows how the pieces fit, not a parts counter.
Sizing, application help, and service across North America, from people who have spent years around fish plants and know where product gets damaged.
The Lines
The lines that do the most work on a seafood line. Tap any card for the full manufacturer roster.
Gentle whole-product transfer plus AODD for solids and offal — the seal-less workhorse of a seafood line.
Brine, RSW, marinade, and CIP return, plus rotary lobe for viscous product. 3-A and EHEDG certified.
Zero-slip transfer of fillets, portions, and whole-muscle product with particle integrity intact.
High-throughput heavy-duty pumping and totally enclosed offal transport for fishing, rendering, and by-product.
Seafood Questions
Straight answers to what seafood processors ask most about pumping their product.
What's the best pump for transferring whole fish?
Peristaltic hose pumps like Enviroflex are the standard for whole fish and shellfish, because the hose is the only wetted part. Product moves through with no impellers or seals to bruise or break it, and the design shrugs off scales, ice, and abrasives.
How do you move fillets or whole-muscle product without damaging it?
Twin-piston systems such as Marlen's zero-slip design carry delicate cuts and whole-muscle product while holding shape and particle definition, so you protect grade and yield in transit rather than tearing or degrading the product.
Which pumps handle brine, RSW, and marinades?
Sanitary centrifugal pumps such as Ampco's are efficient for high-flow, low-viscosity duty like refrigerated seawater, chill brine, and marinade circulation, built in corrosion-resistant stainless for constant salt exposure.
Can you pump fish offal, trimmings, and by-product?
Yes. Enclosed transport systems like the VUMP System, along with AODD pumps, move offal, trimmings, and fish egg skein at up to roughly 100 lbs per minute in a totally enclosed, sanitary setup that replaces screw augers and open conveyors.
Are the pumps compliant with seafood food-safety requirements?
The lines IPE supplies are built for sanitary food processing, with cleanable designs and clean-in-place compatibility. Several are certified to recognized standards, such as Ampco's positive displacement pumps, which conform to 3-A and are EHEDG certified. IPE confirms the exact certifications your facility requires.
How do I get help sizing a pump for my seafood line?
Describe your application, including the product, flow rate, temperature, and process step, and IPE will recommend and size the right line. Call 206-790-0775, email [email protected], or use the quote form on the site.
Tell us the product and the step in your process — whole fish, fillets, roe, brine, or offal — and IPE will spec and size the right pump.
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