Apparatus and method for cutting tongue piece and cheek pieces of fish heads

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided to automate the cutting of tongue and cheek pieces from fish heads such as cod heads. The apparatus comprises a mounting member for mounting a fish head on, also referred to as a "shuttle", comprising an elongated mounting rod on which a fish head of desired size can be mounted, with two oppositely and symmetrically arranged jaw stopping members that extend sidewise from the mounting rod, such that the jaw of a mounted fish head stops by the jaw stopping members. The mounting rod has a bulging section that pushes down the tongue piece of a mounted fish head when the jaw stops on the jaw stopping members. The apparatus comprises a first cutting knife arranged to cut the tongue part of a, and at least two oppositely arranged cheek cutting knives for cutting off cheek portions.

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for cutting tongue piece and cheek pieces of fish heads

[0002] TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

[0003] There has been a general trend for many decades in the fish industry to automate fish processing, while there is also a trend of improving the overall utilisation of the fish. Fish heads, such as cod heads, are an underutilised part of the fish. A significant portion of cod heads is treated as waste and dumped in the ocean from fishing vessels with onboard processing. A portion of cod heads are dried and sold to markets e.g. in Nigeria, where this product is cooked and used in traditional dishes. Cod heads include tender muscles which are collected from a small portion of heads of the overall catch, these are the tongue piece, which is found under the actual tongue and lower jaw of the head, (i.e. the tongue piece is not the actual tongue itself) and cheek pieces. These pieces sell at a high price at fish markets and fish mongers. The tongue and cheek pieces are typically cut of the head by hand, meaning that it is relatively labour intensive to utilise these parts of the fish, which only represent approx. 1 ,8% of the weight of a gutted cod (tongue around 1% and cheeks around 0,8%).

[0004] Attempts in the prior art to automate the cutting of meat from fish heads include CA2067551 , which discloses a method and apparatus for cutting tongues, cheeks and belly flaps from fish heads and for cutting apart jaws of fish heads, where the fish head is mounted on a reinforced beam beneath a spiked chain which moves the head along the beam, first towards horizontal knives which cut the tongue from the head, and then to vertical knives which cut the cheeks and the belly flaps from the head. Inside the beam there is a pneumatic piston which drives the stick down through an opening in the beam to press down the tongue. At the end of the processing, a vertical knife cuts the jaw in two, so that the head can be removed off the beam.

[0005] CA2029458 discloses an apparatus for cutting selected flesh portions such as tongue or membraneous tissue from fish. The device includes fluid jet means for drawing the flesh portion from the fish, reciprocating cutting means for severing the flesh portion from the fish.

[0006] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0007] The present invention sets forth a new apparatus and methods to automate the cutting of tongue and cheek pieces from fish heads such as cod heads. The apparatus of the invention can be made with a relatively small footprint and thus can readily be arranged and used onboard fish processing vessels such as freezing trawlers as well as in land-based processing factories. The invention has been developed in particular for cod heads (Atlantic cod, Pacific cod) but is not limited thereto and the apparatus can readily be used, and if necessary dimensioned, to suit other fish species with a similar anatomy, such as but not limited to other Gadidae species such as pollock, haddock, whiting, and saithe; and salmon species and other Salmonidae species such as trout and char.

[0008] In a first aspect the invention sets forth an apparatus for cutting tongue and cheek pieces from fish heads, the apparatus comprising at least one mounting member for mounting a fish head on (also referred to by applicant as a “shuttle”), the mounting member comprising an elongated mounting rod shaped and dimensioned so that a fish head of desired size can be mounted on the rod through the mouth of the fish head, the mounting member further comprising two oppositely and symmetrically arranged jaw stopping members that extend sidewise from the mounting rod, such that when the fish head is mounted on the mounting rod of the mounting member, the jaw of the fish head stops by the jaw stopping members. The mounting rod has a bulging section which is shaped and positioned such that it pushes down the tongue piece of a mounted fish head when the jaw stops on the jaw stopping members. The apparatus further comprises a first cutting knife arranged to cut the tongue part of a fish head mounted on the mounting member; and at least a pair of oppositely arranged cheek cutting knives for cutting cheek portions of the mounted fish head.

[0009] The mounting rod generally defines a distal end (a “head” or “spearhead”) on to which a fish head can be mounted, that is a fish head that has been cut off its body. The fish head is mounted on the mounting rod by placing the fish head, front-on through its mouth, on to the rod such that rod is inserted through the mouth and throat (esophagus) of the fish, until the jaw of the fish head stops on the jaw stopping members, which act somewhat similar to a horse bit. Thus, it follows that a fish head correctly mounted is turned so that the corners of the mouth of the fish meet the jaw stopping members. The jaw stopping members protrude symmetrically on opposite sides of the mounting rod and are preferably shaped and dimensioned so that the mouth of a fish head of desired size (i.e. the corners of the mouth) when mounted will not extend beyond the width between the ends of the jaw stopping members so that the members effectively stop the jaw from moving longer onto the mounting rod, and the jaw stopping members should be sufficiently large and preferably smooth, so that teeth of the jaws do not hook onto the jaw stopping members. In some embodiments the jaw stopping members are formed as substantially round pins or plugs, preferably with a diameter in the range of about 10-16 mm. The jaw stopping member may in some embodiments have a length such that each member extends from the mounting rod in the range of 15-40 mm. Preferably the distal end of the mounting rod is tapered to form a blunt edge, which is parallel to an axis between the jaw stopping members. This means that when a fish head is correctly mounted so that the corners of the mouth mate with the jaw stopping members, the blunt edge is essentially parallel to an axis defined between the corners of the mouth.

[0010] As mentioned, the mounting rod comprises a bulging section shaped so as to push down the tongue piece of a fully mounted fish head. The bulging section is in one embodiment formed by having a wider diameter of the mounting rod (at least in the vertical direction) where the jaw stopping members are attached than on a front section of the mounting rod, and a tapering diameter between said wider diameter by the jaw stopping members and the smaller diameter front section. Additionally or alternatively the jaw stopping members are preferably offset from a cross-sectional center point of the mounting rod where they are attached, away from the bulging section. In other words, in this embodiment when the mounting rod is viewed in a straight frontal view, the bulging section is observed on the lower portion of the rod and the jaw stopping members extend from the sides, offset upwardly from a center line (see FIG. 1). In an embodiment, the jaw stopping members are positioned on the mounting rod, such that the bulging section extends below the jaw stopping members’ lower-most point by a measure in the range 15-35 mm, such as a range of about 15-25 mm, such as about 15 mm or about 20 mm or about 25 mm.

[0011] It should be note that when referring to orientation (up, down etc.) herein, this is (if not otherwise indicated or clear from the context), in reference to a mounted fish head, In some embodiments the mounting member and mounting rod may be arranged so that when the mounted fish head is positioned for cutting the fish head is in a general up-side-down orientation; the discussion herein about orientation of knives and geometry of the mounting rod still applies, such that e.g. “upwards” and “above” means orientation in relation to upper and lower parts of a mounted fish head. For example, the position of the jaw stopping members and the bulging section on the mounting rod is the same in relation to a correctly mounted fish head.

[0012] In one embodiment an axis of said front section of the mounting rod is offset with respect to said center point of the mounting rod where the jaw stopping members are attached, as illustrated in Figure 1. In one such embodiment the bottom edge of the bulging section extends below the bottom edge of the front section by a measure in the range of 8-20 mm.

[0013] The wider diameter portion of the mounting rod (i.e. the bulging section, where the jaw stopping members are attached) can have a substantially circular cross section, or a different cross-section such as a more oval shape with the longer dimension in the vertical direction. Thus, in some embodiments this section of the mounting rod has a diameter, at least in the vertical direction, in the range 40-65 mm, such as about 40 mm or about 45 mm or about 55 mm or about 55 mm.

[0014] The mounting rod typically also comprises a rear section aft of the jaw stopping members. The rear section should preferably extend with a continuous surface such that teeth of a mounted fish head cannot hook onto any surface irregularity. The rear section can generally have any suitable shape for fastening the mounting rod to the apparatus.

[0015] The first cutting knife may for example be a rotating circular blade, a straight or curved blade, or a waterjet; a rotating circular blade is presently preferred. The first cutting knife is preferably mounted on a member such as a moveable arm, such that the knife can be moved from a resting position, typically sideways from the mounting member, and to a cutting position in front of (or aft of) a mounted fish head and then moved relative to the fish head along the fish head in a suitably adjusted height to cut off the tongue piece. Such front-to-back cutting direction is shown in FIG. 3. In some embodiments the knife can cut the tongue in the opposite direction, from back-to-front of the fish head and in some embodiments the knife can cut in both directions, e.g., one head using front-to-back direction, and the next head being cut in the opposite direction. The cutting knife is typically positioned on a moveable member, e.g., arm with one or more joint, which in some embodiments is operable by a control unit of the apparatus as described herein.

[0016] In some embodiments a sensor (e.g. camera or laser with sensor) is used to determine the optimal cutting position for the knife based on the sensed size of the mounted fish head and / or position of the tongue piece, thus with feedback from such sensor a control unit may adjust the height of the knife blade with respect to the fish head, to ensure an optimal and efficient cut of the tongue piece.

[0017] The cheek cutting knives are arranged and configured so that they will move with respect to the mounted fish head along its side to cut off a respective cheek piece of the fish head. The cheek cutting knives are typically arranged to cut the cheek pieces off from back to front of the fish head. Accordingly, the cheek cutting knives are typically arranged on moveable members, e.g. arms, with suitable joints for sufficient degree-of-freedom motion for the desired operation.

[0018] Preferably each of said cheek cutting knives has a curved blade, preferably substantially semicircular. Advantageously the mounting member and each cheek cutting knife are configured such that the cheek cutting knife can move with respect to the head (by moving either the mounting member with the mounted head or knives or both), first in a general direction approaching the cheek sideways from behind, i.e. at an acute angle to the axis of the mounting member, such that the knife cuts into the skin and flesh at a position by the rear end of the cheek muscle. Thus, preferably, the (each) cheek cutting knife can move relative to the mounting member in a direction at a first acute angle to the axis of the mounting member, and subsequently in a direction at a second angle to the axis of the mounting member, which is more acute than said first angle. Thereby, the knife can first cut into the fish head and then cut along the skull bone to cut off the main portion of the cheek muscle. Preferably, the (each) cheek cutting knife is arranged to move smoothly from said first acute angle to said second angle (more acute angle) as the knife is moving along its cutting path, for example, by mounting the knife on a moveable member (arm or the like) that has at least a rotational degree of motion and translational degree(s) of motion such that the knife can cut into the head and along the cheek piece as described to cut the piece off the bone.

[0019] In some embodiments a separate blade is used in make the initial incision for the cheek cutting, thus in some such embodiments a chopper is used arranged to chop (cut) into the head by the rear end of the cheek at a suitable angle, which can preferably be adjusted (preferably automatically) depending on the size of the fish head. In another embodiment an angled blade is used, e.g. a rotating blade or other type, e.g. vibrating straight or curved blade that is moved relative to the head (either by moving the blade or the head) such that the blade cuts into the head at the desired position by the rear end of the cheek.

[0020] The apparatus preferably further comprises for each cheek cutting knife a counter piece configured to mate with the edge of the cheek cutting knife (the concave face of the cheek cutting knife when using a curved cheek cutting knife such as a semi-circular knife), such that the cheek cutting knife and counter piece can move together to withdraw a cut cheek piece, leaving behind the skin of the cheek piece. The cheek cutting knife in this configuration can move with respect to the head to cut out the cheek muscle (the knife reaching under the muscle essentially to the underlying bone) and when the knife has cut substantially along the muscle such that the muscle has come off the bone, the knife can be withdrawn together with the mating counter piece such that the knife and counter piece pull the muscle piece off the skin piece which has been cut together with the muscle piece but which skin piece is still joined on one end to the fish head. The counter piece is in some embodiments formed as a plate or lid, which preferably has an edge that substantially matches the curvature of the edge of the knife blade. The counter piece may be arranged on a hinge type arrangement, such that it forms a sort of lid on the curved blade, that at least partially covers the opening formed by the front end of the curved blade when the counter piece mates with the blade (is in a “closed” position.)

[0021] Preferably, the cheek cutting knifes are configured to rock or vibrate as they cut, to more easily shear through the skin and flesh. In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a pair of knives that are arranged to cut into a mounted fish head by and along the upper edges of the cheek pieces, orthogonal to a central mirror plane of the fish head (see example in FIG. 6). These cuts thus project sideways into the fish head and provide the cut of the uppermost part of the cheek pieces and means that the cheek cutting knives do not need to make the entire cut to release the upper edge of the cheek pieces. This is beneficial as there is in some fish such as Cod a slightly protruding bone ridge above the cheek muscle, which this additional knife is advantageously adjusted to cut right below. Preferably the exact cutting plane of these knives can be adjusted. These knives are referred to herein deep cut knives or uppercut knives. Preferably they comprise circular rotating blades but are not limited thereto and other knife types may as well be used.

[0022] As mentioned above, the apparatus comprises a first cutting knife to cut the tongue part of a mounted fish head. The fist knife can move with respect to the mounting rod and can be e.g. a rotating blade knife, a straight moving blade, curved blade, endless blade or water jet.

[0023] In a useful embodiment, the apparatus comprises a suction cup arranged on a moveable member, such that suction cup can be moved towards the tongue section of a fish head mounted on the mounting member, and comprising means to apply suction to said suction cup. The moveable member is then advantageously configured to move a suitable distance, after the suction cup has been adhered to the fish head, so as to pull down slightly the tongue piece, which makes cutting it off more effective. The suction cup can be a conventional rubber suction cup, arranged with air suction. The suction cup has in some embodiments a diameter in the range 10 to 35 mm, such as in the range 10-25 mm or in the range 12-20 mm.

[0024] As is explained above, the mounting rod has suitable dimensions for desired fish heads that the apparatus is configured for, such as typically cod heads from regular catch cods (e.g. cods of total weight in the range 3-7 kg).

[0025] In some embodiment the apparatus comprises a plurality of mounting members, which may be for example arranged on a rotating conveyor or vertical carousel or drum.

[0026] The apparatus comprises in some embodiments a bracket that holds the first cutting knife and the cheek cutting knives, and preferably as well further knives that may be incorporated as described herein.

[0027] An advantage of the invention is that after the tongue piece and cheeks have been cut off, the head can be dismounted and remains otherwise intact, i.e. the skull bone has not been cleaved or the head otherwise severely dismembered. Thus, the head can, after the processing of the present invention, still be dried and used as dried fish head, another side product, which was mentioned in the background section. Preferably the apparatus comprises a control unit such as a PLC computer which is programmed to control and operate the apparatus including the movement and preferably as well adjustment of the knifes. Thus, in some embodiments, the apparatus is configured such that fish heads are to be mounted manually on one or a plurality of mounting members; when the mounting member is in a cutting position, the control unit is programmed to move the first cutting knife arranged on a controllable moving member to a cutting position and to cut off the tongue piece, and in case the apparatus comprises a suction cup, the control unit is programmed to move the suction cup on another controllable member towards the tongue piece of the mounted fish head and as it comes in close contact with the tongue piece suction is applied by suction means (suction applied to the disc via a tube connected to a pump) and the suction cup is then moved away from the fish head by a slight suitable distance (or with a set pulling force) to pull downwardly the tongue piece prior to cutting it off. Then after the tongue piece has been cut off it will remain adhered on the suction cup which can then advantageously be used to move the piece and release it in a desired location, e.g. such that it will fall into a collection bin.

[0028] In some embodiments the apparatus is configured with one or more sensor cooperating with the control unit, such as in particular one or more optical sensor (e.g. cameras) that can assess characteristics of a mounted fish head such as in particular the size and position of the mounted fish head(s) and provide feedback to the control unit, which based on the feedback can control and perform the desired cutting and in some embodiments automatically adjust the position and / or orientation of the knives.

[0029] In another aspect, the invention provides a method of cutting tongue and cheek pieces of a fish head such as a cod head, comprising steps of:

[0030] - mounting the fish head on a mounting member that comprises an elongated mounting rod with two oppositely arranged jaw stopping members attached and extending from the mounting member, by inserting a distal end of the mounting rod in the mouth of the fish head until the jaws reach the jaw stopping members and a bulging section of the mounting rod pushes down the tongue piece of the fish head, the mounting member being arranged as part of an apparatus;

[0031] - cutting the tongue piece of the fish head with a first cutting knife which is part of said apparatus and is configured to automatically cut said cut; and

[0032] - cutting both cheek pieces off, each with a respective cheek cutting knife, both of which are part of said apparatus. The apparatus referred to in the method is preferably as described herein. The first cutting knife is advantageously as described above and preferably as well the mentioned cheek cutting knives, which thus preferably have each a curved, e.g. substantially semi-circular blade, and the cheek cutting knives are preferably arranged to have a rocking or vibrating motion during cutting. Preferably, the method comprises moving the cheek cutting knives as described above, first in a direction at a first acute angle with respect to the axis of the fish head, then as the knife has cut into the flesh and approaches the skull bone the knife is rotatably moved so as to reach a second more acute angle as it continues to cut away the cheek piece. In some embodiments the method comprises using a separate blade or cutter to make the initial incision for the cheek cut, before the cheek cutting knife is moved to make its cut.

[0033] In an embodiment the method includes, after said cheek cutting knives have performed their respective cuts, mating with each cheek cutting knife a counter piece, and moving each cheek cutting knife and its mating counter piece away from the fish head to withdraw the cut cheek piece, leaving behind on the fish head the skin of the cheek piece. Thus, each cheek cutting knife and respective counter piece form in this embodiment a type of pinching function, holding on to the cheek piece as it is pulled back away from the fish head thus releasing it from its fish skin. The knife and engaged counter piece are then preferably moved to a suitable location and the counter piece disengaged to release the cut skin-free cheek piece.

[0034] The method may further comprise cutting with a pair of knives referred to as uppercut knives cuts into the sides of the fish head at or near the upper edge of each respective cheek piece.

[0035] In some embodiments a suction cup is applied to the tongue portion of the mounted fish head and suction applied thereto and moving the suction cup downwardly with respect to the fish head in order to pull the tongue portion slightly, in a direction away from the head and jaw, prior to cutting the tongue piece off. This makes the cut more efficient, that is increases the efficiency of the cheek cutting.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0037] Fig. 1 shows a mounting member with a mounting rod, bulging section and jaw stopping members.

[0038] Fig. 2 shows a fish head mounted on a mounting member.

[0039] Fig. 3 shows a transparent view of the mounting rod and bulging section of the mounting member inside the mouth of a fish head. Fig. 4 (a) and (b) show a top view of a cheek cutting knife cutting a cheek piece on a fish head;

[0040] Fig. 4 (c) shows a front view if a curved cheek cutting knife.

[0041] Fig. 5 shows how a cheek cutting knife interacts with a counter piece, forming a pinch.

[0042] Fig. 6 shows how a cheek uppercut knife can make a straight cut above the cheek piece.

[0043] Fig. 7 shows a plurality of mounting members arranged on a carousel.

[0044] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the mounting member (10) and mounting rod having a front section (1) with blunt (smooth) edge (5) parallel to the jaw stopping members, a bulging section (3) and two oppositely arranged jaw stopping members (4) extending sideways from the axis of the mounting rod. The jaw stopping members are offset from a center point of the mounting rod, vertically upwardly when the rod is viewed from a side view. A rear portion (2) aft of the jaw stopping members connects the mounting member to the apparatus (not shown).

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a fish head (20) mounted on a mounting member (10), illustrating how the mouth of the fish head stops on the jaw stopping members (4) and how the tongue piece (21) is pushed down by the wide opening of the mouth and the bulging section (3) of the rod pushing the tongue piece (21) downwards.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows another view of the mounted fish head (20) mounted on a mounting member (10) and further shows the blade of the first cutting knife (30) and its general direction for cutting off the tongue piece (21). As mentioned above, a suction may advantageously be used to further pull the tongue piece downwards to further enable an efficient cut.

[0048] FIG. 4a and b show a top view of a cheek cutting knife and its movement direction for making its cut, cutting the cheek piece off. The blade first moves in a direction at a first acute angle to the axis of the mounting member which in the figure 4a is about 45°. As the knife has cut into the flesh and approaches the skull bone the knife is rotated to alter its angle to a more acute angle (FIG. 4b) and as the blade of the knife approaches the front end of the cheek piece the direction of the blade is at an acute angle typically in the range of about 2-10°, such as in the range of 2-5° from the axis of the mounting member mounting rod (parallel to the central mirror plane of the mounted fish head).

[0049] FIG. 4c shows a front view of the left cheek cutting knife and mounted fish head, depicting the curvature of the blade in this specific embodiment and the position of the cheek pieces to be cut. FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of how the cheek cutting knife (40) and counter piece (42) interact. The figure shows a top-view cross-section view of the blade (41) of the cheek cutting knife (40) which has cut the cheek muscle (22) substantially off the fish head (skull bone (23)) but not cut through the fish skin (24) at the front end of the cheek. The counter piece (42) in this embodiment acts as a pinch, by moving towards the edge of the blade (41) and pinching together with the blade such that a force is needed to open up the pinch, such that when the blade and counter piece are withdrawn away from the fish head the cheek muscle is pinched in between the blade and counter piece and is pulled off from its skin which adheres to the remainder of the skin of the fish head. FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment where a pair of knives referred to as cheek uppercut knives (50) are arranged to cut into a mounted fish head by the upper edges of the cheek pieces, substantially orthogonal to a central mirror plane of the fish head. The figure shows one such knife (50) indicated as a circular blade, making a straight cut (51).

[0050] FIG. 7 shows how a plurality of mounting members (10) are arranged on a carousel (11) that is rotatably fastened on a body (12) or chassis of the apparatus.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus for cutting tongue and cheek pieces from fish heads, comprising at least one mounting member (10) for mounting a fish head on, comprising an elongated mounting rod shaped and dimensioned so that a fish head (20) of desired size can be mounted on the rod through the mouth of the fish head, a first cutting knife (30) arranged to cut the tongue part of a fish head mounted on the mounting member (10), at least two oppositely arranged cheek cutting knives (40) for cutting cheek portions of the mounted fish head, characterised by that the mounting member (10) comprises two oppositely and symmetrically arranged jaw stopping members (4) that extend sidewise from the mounting rod, such that when the fish head (20) is mounted on the mounting rod, the jaw of the fish stops by the jaw stopping members (4), and by that the mounting rod having a bulging section (3) that pushes down the tongue piece of a mounted fish head (20) when the jaw stops on the jaw stopping members (4).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting rod has a distal end (1) which is tapered to form a blunt edge (5), wherein said edge (5) is parallel to an axis between the jaw stopping members (4).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said bulging section (3) is formed by having a wider diameter of the mounting rod, at least in the vertical direction, where the jaw stopping members (4) are attached than on a front section (1) of the mounting rod, and a tapering diameter between said wider diameter by the jaw stopping members and the smaller diameter front section (1), and wherein the jaw stopping members (4) are offset from a center point of the mounting rod where they are attached, away from the bulging section (3).

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an axis of said front section (1) is offset with respect to said center point of the mounting rod where the jaw stopping members (4) are attached.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the bottom edge of the bulging section (3) extends below the bottom edge of the front section (1) by a measure in the range of 8-20 mm.

6. The apparatus according to any of claim 1 to 5, wherein the jaw stopping members (4) are positioned above said center point, such that the bulging section (3) extends below the jaw stopping members (4) by a measure in the range 15-35 mm.

7. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of said cheek cutting knives (40) has a curved blade, preferably substantially semi-circular, wherein the mounting member (10) and each cheek cutting knife (40) are configured such that the cheek cutting knife (40) can move relative to the mounting member (10) along and substantially parallel to a mirror plane of the mounting rod, by moving either the cheek cutting knife (40) or mounting member (10).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising for each cheek cutting knife (40) a counter piece (42) configured to mate with the concave face of the cheek cutting knife (40), wherein the cheek cutting knife (40) and counter piece (42) can move together to withdraw a cut cheek piece, leaving behind the skin of the cheek piece.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said cheek cutting knifes (40) are configured to rock or vibrate as they cut.

10. The apparatus according to any claims 7 to 9, wherein each said cheek cutting knife (40) can move relative to the mounting member (10) in a direction at a first acute angle to the axis of the mounting member (10), and in a direction at a second angle to the axis of the mounting member, which is more acute than said first angle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each said cheek cutting knife (40) is arranged to move smoothly from said first angle to said second angle as the knife is moving along its cutting path.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said counter piece (42) is configured as a pinching member that is arranged to move towards the edge of its respective cheek cutting knife (40) to form a pinch, such that when the knife and counter piece are withdrawn the cut cheek piece is pinched between the knife blade and counter piece and withdrawn off its skin.

13. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a pair of knives (50) arranged to cut into a mounted fish head by the upper edges of the cheek pieces, substantially orthogonal to a central mirror plane of the fish head.

14. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a suction cup arranged on a moveable member such that suction cup can be moved towards the tongue section of a fish head mounted on the mounting member (10), and comprising means to apply suction to said suction cup.

15. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said mounting member is dimensioned such that the cross-section diameter of the front section is the range of 30-40 mm, the cross-section diameter of mounting rod where the jaw stopping members are attached is in the range of 35 to 55 mm, the cross-section diameter of the jaw stopping members is in the range 14-22 mm, and the distance from the distal end of the mounting rod to the jaw stopping members is in the range of 12-20 cm.

16. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a control unit and a sensor for detecting characteristics of a mounted fish head and providing feedback to said control unit to automatically adjust position of knives.

17. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of mounting members arranged on a rotating conveyor or vertical carousel or drum (11), and a bracket that holds said first cutting knife (30) and cheek cutting knives (40).

18. A method of cutting tongue piece (21) and cheek pieces (22) of a fish head (20) such as a cod head, comprising steps of: mounting the fish head (20) on a mounting member (10) that comprises an elongated mounting rod , by inserting a distal end (1) of the mounting rod in the mouth of the fish head (20) , wherein the mounting member (10) is arranged as part of an apparatus; cutting the tongue piece (21) of the fish head with a first cutting knife (30) which is part of said apparatus and is configured to automatically cut said cut; cutting both cheek pieces (22) off, each with a respective cheek cutting knife (40), where both said cheek cutting knives (40) are part of said apparatus, characterised in that the mounting rod of the mounting member (10) comprises two oppositely arranged jaw stopping members (4) attached and extending from the mounting member (10), wherein the distal end (1) of the mounting rod is inserted in the mouth of the fish head until the jaws of the fish head reach the jaw stopping members (40), and in that said mounting member (10) comprises a bulging section (3) on the mounting rod wherein the bulging section (3) pushes down the tongue piece (21) of the fish head.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising arranging a suction cup in contact with the tongue piece (21), applying suction to the suction cup and moving the suction cup downwardly from the fish head (20) to pull the tongue piece (21) downwardly prior to cutting it off.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein each of said cheek cutting knife (40) has a curved, substantially semi-circular blade, which is preferably arranged to have a rocking or vibrating motion during cutting.

21. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein after said cheek cutting knives (40) have performed their respective cuts, the method includes mating with each cheek cutting knife (40) a counter piece (42), and moving each cheek cutting knife (40) and its mating counter piece (42) away from the fish head (20) to withdraw the cut cheek piece (22), leaving behind on the fish head the skin of the cheek piece.

22. The method according to any of claims 18 to 20, further comprising cutting with a pair of cheek uppercut knifes (50) cuts (51) into the sides of the fish head at or near the upper edge of each respective cheek piece (22).

23. The method according to any of claims 18 to 21 , further comprising applying a suction cup to the tongue portion (21) of the fish head (20), applying suction to the suction cup, and moving the suction cup so as to pull the tongue portion (21) in a direction away from the jaw, prior to cutting the tongue piece (21) off.

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