How did factory trawlers process fish while far from shore?

Factory trawlers function as self-contained, large-scale processing facilities that allow crews to remain at sea for many weeks. Once fish are caught and sorted, they are moved to a dedicated processing deck where they are cleaned, packaged, and frozen for storage in the vessel's hold.12

To maximize efficiency and minimize waste, many of these vessels are equipped with specialized facilities to extract oil and convert fish waste into fish meal. While some large vessels, known as freezer trawlers, primarily focus on gutting and freezing the catch for later processing on land, factory trawlers perform these tasks entirely onboard. Additionally, some factory trawlers act as mother ships, receiving catches from smaller vessels—a practice known as Klondyking—to consolidate and process the harvest far from shore.13