Food industry - fish and shellfish industry (NACE code: C10.2)

General information about the sector

The sector of fish processing is widely spread and is characterized by big variability. Fish processing includes the processing of white or pelagic fish, fatty fish, shellfish and fresh water fish. There are also species of fish that are mass processed as cod, herring, tuna, mackerel, pollock, haddock ect (BREF document "Food, Drink and Milk Industries" (January 2017)).

A preliminary processing of fish aiming at the partial, or full, separation of the edible and the inedible parts of fish usually precedes the main fishing processing.

 

Industrial Activity (NACE Code C10.2)

Section

Division

Group

Description

C

 

 

Manufacture

 

C10

 

Manufacture of food products 

 

 

C10.2

Processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs

 

Brine effluent in fish processing

Fish preservation methods include canning, salting/pickling, smoking and drying (BREF document "Food, Drink and Milk Industries" (January 2017)). Salting/pickling method result in generation of high salinity wastewater. The parameters of interest in brines from fish processing are presented in the following table.

 

Key parameters to consider for the brine wastewater from fish processing

Anions

Other parameters

Chlorides (Cl-)

pH

Sulphates SO42-

Total Nitrogen

Τotal phosphates

Oil and grease (and fats)

Cations

COD

Na+

BOD5

K+

Total Suspended Solids

Ca2+

 

Mg2+