Shellfish depuration advice
Purification entails placing shellfish in tanks of seawater for a minimum of 42 hours to purge any microbiological contamination they may have bio-accumulated while in the environment . Only shellfish harvested from class B harvesting areas (and where deemed necessary, class A areas) are permitted to be depurated.
Under EU Regulations, the approval for shellfish purification plants to operate must be given by the local enforcement authority (LEA).
Operators of depuration plants who wish to obtain approval or modify a depuration plant or system should inform their local food authority.
Cefas has extensive experience in the running and inspection of depuration systems and in research into optimising the depuration process. We can advise on the operation and approval of depuration systems.
mussels underwater
Related publications
- Use of UV in depuration
- Use of Ozone in depuration
- Water quality advice
- Cefas depuration advice service
- Recommended record keeping sheet for purification plant operators
- Food Standards Agency (FSA) depuration webpage.
Specific advice on the technical design of purification systems should be sought from Seafish or a suitable consultancy.
