Have you ever heard about BARNA, and its role in the SUMMER project?

BARNA, S.A. is a company located in Mundaka, north of Spain on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea. BARNA has since 1961 been dedicated to the management and transformation of by-products from the fishing industry. Our mission each year is to produce about 11 000 tons of fishmeal and fish oil for animal feed from 26 000 tons of fish byproducts.

Photo 1: View of the Bay of Biscay from the window of BARNA

Our role in the SUMMER project is to evaluate the possibility of using mesopelagic species for the manufacture of meals and oils for animal feed. For this evaluation we must verify:

That the processing of these mesopelagic species is technologically feasible.
That the products obtained will comply with EU regulations regarding undesirable substances.
That the yield of the transformation into meals and oils is adequate.
The quality of the products is adequate.

For this purpose, we perform laboratory measurements of heavy metal levels (Mercury, cadmium, lead and arsenic), biogenic amines (Histamine), protein content, and other nutritional parameters. We will also try to carry out pilot processing at BARNA’s facilities to detect operational problems.

If you at some point come to this geographical area – you will be able to know BARNA, and if you surf here, you’ll enjoy the best left wave in Europe!