Seed and Juvenile Graders

Processing oysters underwater dramatically reduces handling damage and minimises death rates, thus increasing profits.

  • Quiet
  • Low cost
  • Gentle
  • Automatic
  • Grades seed/juveniles from 3 to 50mm
  • Fast,100,000 oysters/hour (single) barrel
  • Twin barrel is even faster
  • Consistent grades

This machine is very gentle on product. Traditional juvenile barrel and shaker graders produce lots of stress for oysters, in most cases killing a percentage and stunting the growth of others. Due to the way oysters behave underwater, grading is more consistent than the existing barrel and shaker graders.

Low labour costs

Shellquip in association with Bolduans Bay Oysters in Tasmania has developed the underwater grading system specifically to reduce mortality rates and reduce labour costs.

If the grading line includes some of the ShellQuip in-feed options and baggers, oysters can be emptied into a bulk hopper, washed, measured, separated into grades, and bagged. Operators are only required to empty the baskets or trays into the bulk hopper and feed the baggers at the end of the line.

The operator simply fills the hopper (for juvenile) or seed table and the grader does the rest. Oysters are sorted underwater into three sizes before being delivered by 3 small conveyors to collection points. If optional baggers are added then a set volume of shellfish can fill baskets at up to 30 per minute feed rates.

Up to 100,000 oysters per hour (size 25 to 35mm) can be processed on a single lane system.

Download a printable PDF Brochure

Videos

  • Seed Processing

  • Juvenile Processing