Seafood sector 'can triple value of by-products'

The chief executive of Seafood Scotland has called on industry partners to back the creation of a Scottish “ocean cluster” that could unlock three times more value from Scotland’s seafood industry.

Donna Fordyce officially announced the establishment of the cluster at the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) Conference, a focal event for the industrial biotechnology community in Scotland.

Fordyce called on organisations across Scotland’s seafood industry to get behind the initiative as it seeks to secure funding.

Seafood Scotland has partnered with IBioIC, Zero Waste Scotland, Opportunity North East and Aberdeenshire Council, to encourage producers, processors, investors, researchers, retailers, government and biotech companies to work collectively to unlock the full potential of seafood ‘side stream’ products, over and above the actual fish protein.

Following Iceland

The initiative is inspired by the Iceland Ocean Cluster, which has successfully driven value-creation from under-utilised marine resources over the past decade.

Subject to funding, the would-be Scottish cluster’s first area of focus will be to increase the value of fish side streams by harnessing biotech expertise to create, for example, added value nutritional supplements.

There is more value to be had in side streams from both wild caught and farmed fish, according to a recent report by Zero Waste Scotland. The report says that the current market value of the 166,000 tonnes of fish “mixed by-products” in Scotland is approximately £21.58 million. The mixed by-products are comprised of 18,220 tonnes from aquaculture, 11,063 tonnes from capture fishing, and 136,717 tonnes of material whose origin was not identified by a Zero Waste Scotland survey.

The Scottish cluster steering group estimates the market value of the mixed by-products could potentially be trebled in the space of three years by increasing by-product sorting and ingredient extraction.

“Bringing biotech expertise together with the innovators in the seafood industry - in the same way as the Iceland Ocean Cluster has done - has the potential to triple the value of Scotland’s seafood side streams, by extracting even more value from the country’s fish and shellfish,” Fordyce told the IBioIC conference.

“By working together across the industry, we can improve food security, actively encourage innovation and high value job creation, champion environmental sustainability and attract funding and investment to foster economic development in Scotland.

Game-changing

“In short, it could be game-changing for the sector, and the organisations at its heart. That’s why we’re calling on the backing of stakeholders across the industry - so we can secure the funding to progress with a Scottish ocean cluster that can realise and accelerate these ambitions, bring economic prosperity to our coastal rural fishing communities, and get ahead of any potential future challenges facing the industry.”

IBioIC’s senior impact manager Kim Cameron said: “The Iceland Ocean Cluster has demonstrated how a zero-waste model can drive both economic and environmental sustainability, maximising value from every part of the seafood supply chain. By harnessing Scotland’s cutting-edge biotech expertise, we can emulate this approach to create exceptional value, turning underutilised resources into high-value products. Establishing a Scottish Ocean Cluster would be a pivotal step in realising this vision.”

Fewer fish, more innovation

The success of the Iceland Ocean Cluster’s focus on increasing the value of fish by-products was explained by the cluster’s chief executive, Alexandra Leeper, at the Responsible Seafood Summit held in St Andrews, Fife, in October last year. The event was jointly organised by the Global Seafood Alliance and Seafood Scotland.

Leeper explained that the volume of Atlantic cod caught by Icelandic boats fell from 450,000 tonnes per year to 260,000 tonnes when a quota system was introduced. This prompted Iceland to look at ways of improving the value of the fish it was still allowed to catch.

“A lot of technology for drying fish existed but there was no tradition of eating fish heads, so they found a market in Nigeria,” Leeper told the audience at St Andrews.

The $4,750 cod

Fish livers were cold-pressed for cold liver oil, and skin that had previously been discarded was made into leather. “A cod skin that would have been thrown away is worth US $50,” said Leeper, who added that Gucci and Nike are using fish skin leather, and someone is working on joining the skins to make larger pieces.

Collagen from fish skin is extracted for nutraceuticals, and enzymes from fish viscera can break down the cold virus, said Leeper, adding that a company using cod skin for skin grafts sold for more than $1 billion.

“All in all, a cod could be worth $4,750,” concluded Leeper, who said other species of fish also have a lot of potential for extra value.

'There is waste'

Seafood Scotland boss Fordyce, who had visited the Iceland Seafood Cluster before the St Andrews summit, also spoke at the event.

“Some byproducts are used in Scotland, but some are not and there are opportunities,” she said.

She added that the seafood industry’s perception was that there is no waste but this was incorrect.

Speaking today, Leeper voiced her support for a Scottish Ocean Cluster. She said: “Iceland Ocean Cluster is thrilled to see steps being taken to launch a Scottish Ocean Cluster, which we are keen to welcome as part of our global sister cluster network. Their leadership in working to bring ‘100% Fish’ to life in a country with such a rich seafood heritage is a great example of doing more with less and we look forward to working together.”