The fish processing industry consumes a lot of water. This consumption depends on the species being processed, food processing techniques/methods and scale of operation. This project aims to study the water flow in fish industries and to determine the minimum consumption of water required for processing of the main salt-water and freshwater species that are industrialized in Brazil. The strategy is based on three pillars: conscious/rational use of water, better utilization of fish, and use of effluents and solid waste. The groups of studied species are: round fishes (tambaqui, pacu and hybrids); siluriformes fishes or catfishes (pintado, cachara and hybrids); cichlid fishes (tilapia); sardines and similar (Brazilian-sardine, menhaden, Atlantic anchoveta, xixarro); tuna and similar (tuna, bonito); salmonids fishes (salmon); coryfenidae fish (dorado or mahi-mahi). The study has partnership with fish industry in four Brazilian states: Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Tocantins. The potential impacts of the project are: reduced consumption of water and energy, lower emission of pollutants and organic solid waste and production of co-products from waste.

Keywords: water, co-products, fish, food industry, recycle, reuse