One of Matís' most extensive research projects in recent years has revolved around herring stocks in the North Atlantic.
This is a Nordic project funded by the Fisheries Project Fund and the AG-Fisk Group of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Together with Matís, the Marine Research Institute in Iceland, the Institute of Marine Research in the Faroe Islands, the University of the Faroe Islands, Síldarvinnslan in Neskaupstaður, the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen in Norway and DTU Food in Lyngby in Denmark are working on it.
The title of the project is an Interdisciplinary study of herring stocks in the Northeast Atlantic and the title is descriptive of Matís' involvement in the project. It brings together experts in different fields of study, such as genetics, chemistry, food science and engineering, to name a few.
Herring stocks in the sea area in question are both regional and migratory. This means that the catch can be mixed from stocks according to regions and seasons. Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, director of Safety, Environment and Genetics, says that processing companies are interested in gaining further knowledge about the nature of the stocks and their behavior, as the processing properties of the herring can vary between stocks. "This is a multifaceted project where we are looking at the number of herring stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, applying genetics to determine stock structure, also the role of different stocks in fishing and then linking the genetic information to processing properties and chemical content. In doing so, we seek to answer questions about the proportion of stock units in the fishery, whether the different processing properties of the herring are tied to its stock structure or whether there are other factors such as environmental conditions. Based on this information, processors can assess the characteristics of herring by sea area or fishing season, "says Anna Kristín, but work on the project began in 2009.
Other pelagic species in this area are worthy of research material for the same purpose, and Anna Kristín mentions as an example blue whiting, capelin and mackerel, which in a short time has become an important species in Iceland's marine catch. The intention is therefore that this study will lay the foundation for another and larger European project where the fish stocks in question, and even more, will be studied.