Author: admin

The first news of lightly salted salted fish in production came in the early 1990s. At that time, there was one producer in the Westfjords who produced lightly salted and loose frozen fillets for the Spanish market. Lightly salted frozen fish was primarily intended as a cheaper alternative to dehydrated traditional salted fish, as the processing process is considerably shorter and simpler.

Lightly salted fish is only about 1.5% salt and the salt therefore has no effect on the shelf life of the product and it is therefore necessary to use freezing as a preservation method. The customs authorities in Spain ruled some time ago that this product should be classified as frozen fish and not as salted fish, as the Icelandic authorities considered it appropriate to do.

It is hopeless to know how the export of lightly salted products has developed if only official data is used, because there were no special tariff codes for lightly salted products until after 2007, when this product had been exported for more than a decade and a half. .

In export figures from 2008, the export of lightly salted fish products is reported for the first time, and then there were 10 different customs numbers in the Customs Register in section 0305, where salted fish can be found. In the first year in which information on the export of lightly salted products is visible, 6,600 tonnes worth ISK 4.6 billion were exported.

As early as 2009, the registered export volume is almost 11,000 tonnes and almost 12,000 tonnes in 2010, but then something remarkable happens in 2011 because then exports fall to 4,200 tonnes.

What in the world happened? Did the market collapse or did exporters start to record exports in other ways? In fact, it did not take long to get confirmation that the market had not given up, but exporters had started to list the lightly salted fish as frozen fish fillets in section 0304.

The reason for these transfers was probably that products in the salted fish section 0305 were not allowed to contain phosphate. The ban on the use of phosphate in this category of products was solely to prevent the addition of added water in traditional salted fish, which was dried up by some buyers in Portugal and elsewhere.

The use of phosphate in fishery products in other sections of the Customs Tariff is not prohibited, as long as the use is within the permitted limits and the use of phosphate is marked on the packaging.

When the exporters realized that phosphate could not be used in salted fish, they reacted to the idea of exporting the lightly salted fish as frozen fillets, thereby indirectly confirming the use of phosphate. As a result, the lightly salted fish disappeared again and has not been detectable in exports since then, except to a small extent, despite the fact that the tariff codes in Chapter 0305 for lightly salted products have been significantly increased.

In fact, it was unnecessary to stop registering lightly salted products in the salted fish section, because these numbers used in Iceland are not used directly to register imports in the trading country, but are primarily used as information in the registration of seafood exports from here. The Spanish authorities had ruled that lightly salted frozen fish is not salted fish but frozen fish, so this move had no consequences other than that now we know little or nothing about the total quantity and value of lightly salted products, as the products are partly together with traditional frozen fillets and distort the image significantly.

In addition, the use of technical aids such as phosphate in the production of fish, salted fish or lightly salted products can be discussed. It is known that many people take advantage of the benefits of phosphate in production and they are obliged to report it on the packaging, but if someone tries to avoid specifying such use, it is in fact a very serious matter in itself if it turns out to be correct.

This summary of lightly salted fish is primarily intended to show how difficult it is to see the development in the production of seafood due to a known discrepancy in registration. Lightly salted fish will not be visible in export figures until half a decade after the export began, and then the producers decide to register the product in other tariff categories than the Icelandic authorities intended.

It is relatively easy to cite various other examples of successful export registrations, suffice it to say that the third most valuable species we export is called "various species". It is clear that there is no need to improve as soon as possible so that it is easy to see what we produce and how we use our marine resources for sustainable value creation.

Matís is currently working on the project "Increased value of data" together with the Association of Companies in the Fisheries Sector, the Office of the Director of Customs, Statistics Iceland, Iceland Seafood, Icelandic Group, Brim hf, Ögurvík hf and Markó Partners. The extensive co-operation shows the willingness of stakeholders in the fisheries sector to do better in registering exports. The project is working hard to make it possible to record exports in a much more reliable way than before, and the project enjoys funding from the AVS Fund. The project's employees are computer scientists Daníel Agnarsson and Friðrik Valdimarsson, and they take advantage of the idea of basing all export registrations on product descriptions, which form the basis of the standard industry of the fishing industry.

With the increased value of data in mind, detailed information will be created as soon as new products are exported to foreign markets, so there will be no need to wait for new tariff codes to be created and product development can be monitored even if changes are made to tariff codes and therefore, no one should have to worry anymore about the value of individual species or where certain products are registered in the customs numbering system.

For further information Páll Gunnar Pálsson at Matís.

A report has been published by Matís on by-products from catfish processing in Iceland. The report reports on by-products made from raw materials resulting from the processing of our main catfish species, what the development of the processing has been in recent years in terms of quantity and value, as well as discusses small or untapped opportunities for further processing. catfish catch.

In 2015, Denmark chaired the Nordic Council of Ministers, and at the same time the Faroe Islands were tasked with shaping work in that field around utilization in the Blue Bioeconomy. As part of the presidency plan, the "Alt i land" project was launched, which was to examine the current utilization and possibilities for improved utilization in catfish processing in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway and Iceland. The Faroese company Synthesis was commissioned to lead the project and you can see information about the installation and goals of the project the website of the Faroese Presidency Program.

Sequences of workshops were held in the four countries with stakeholders, data were analyzed and possibilities were explored. This included a feasibility study of some of the main possibilities for increased utilization. The results of the project have now been published report by the Nordic Council of Ministers which can be accessed.

In parallel with Matís' involvement in the "Alt i land" project, a Matís report was prepared, which collects information on the utilization of important catfish species in Iceland, explains which products are made from the raw material that is produced and possibilities for increased utilization of by-products. . The report is available at Matís website.

For more information  Jónas R. Viðarsson or Ásbjörn Jónsson

A new article was published in issue 29/2016 of the scientific journal Icelandic Agricultural Sciences (IAS) and can be accessed at http://www.ias.is/landbunadur/wgsamvef.nsf/key2/bsinaawuad.html  

The article is called "Diet of harbor seals in a salmon estuary in North-West Iceland"And is by the authors Sandra M. Granquist and Erling Hauksson.

The article deals with the food choices of harbor seals in the estuaries of salmon and trout fishing rivers in Húnaþing vestra. The potential impact of seals on salmonids is a big and controversial issue, so this study is a very important contribution to that discussion. The authors studied the food choices of harbor seals in the oasis areas from 2009 to 2011 with a grind and bone analysis from seal faeces samples. The main conclusion was that there was no evidence of salmonids in the faeces of the seals. However, flatfish were the most important in the seals' diet in the estuaries, and the next most important was herring. Herring was also the fish species that was found proportionally most in all years (45% samples) and that together with flatfish and capelin were predominant in the number of individual fish. However, there was some variation between years and there was also seasonal variation in the seals' food choices. These results are a very interesting and important contribution to the debate on the alleged negative effects of seals on salmon and trout fishing in Iceland.

More information at IAS website.

The Laboratory of Geriatrics, Landakot 5L and the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland are requesting participants in a study that has been approved by the Science Ethics Committee.

• Participants need to be healthy, adults, 40 years and older. Participants with a body mass index of 30 kg / m² or higher can participate (see table with calculated body mass index below). Participants who exercise regularly are excluded from participation as well as pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding.
  
• Objectives The study is investigating the effect of different doses of bladderwort extract on short-term blood glucose in healthy adults.
  
• Participation in the study involves attending three times for two and a half hours blood glucose tests and body measurements. Participants will receive different doses of bladderwort extract along with 50 g of carbohydrates at each arrival. Measurements of body composition, height and weight will be performed. In addition, participants will be asked to provide information on general health.
  
• Balloon seaweed (Fucus vesiculosus) is rich in iodine, indigestible starch, salt and bioactive substances. Bladderwort extraction occurs when certain bioactive substances are extracted from the bladderwort and isolated. These bioactive substances are placed in gelatin capsules for easy ingestion. The use of kelp for human consumption is known and research on bioactive substances in kelp both here in Iceland and abroad suggests that kelp extract can have a positive effect on blood sugar control as kelp extract reduces the absorption of carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract.
  
• Participation is not paid for.

Interested parties who meet the above criteria are asked to have
contact Aníta Sif Elídóttir at 844-7131 or send an e-mail to anitas@landspitali.is

Aníta Sif Elídóttir is a nutritionist and an employee of the Faculty of Food and Nutrition at the University of Iceland and assists in the implementation of the research.

The person responsible for the study is Alfons Ramel, Professor at the Faculty of Food and Nutrition, University of Iceland (alfonsra@hi.is; phone: 543-9875).

Those who contact the researchers are only expressing an interest in further information and do not undertake to participate.

Table 1 - Minimum weight required to meet body mass index requirements ≥ 30 kg / m2

Body mass index is calculated from height and weight according to the formula weight / height² (kg / m²).

MacroFuels is a project that is part of Horizon 2020, the European Research Program 2014-2020, and the project began at the beginning of the year. Matís participates in this project, which aims to develop fuels from seaweed, for example butanol, ethanol, furanic substances and biogas (methane).

The project covers all aspects of the production chain: Algae cultivation of different species, harvesting technology, pre-processing as well as the development of chemical and biological transformations of seaweed sugars into fuel molecules.

Participants are universities, research institutes and companies from Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Scotland, Belgium and Germany. Matís will develop and study enzymes and microorganisms to break down this biomass and use it to make fuel.

The first workshop lasted two days, reviewing the first six months of the project, what had been done and what had been achieved. One day was so well used in the organization of work in the project's work packages.

After the meetings, the participants went together to Reykjadalur, and got to know Icelandic nature and bathed in hot pools.

Reykjadalur 

For more information dr. Guðmundur Óli Hreggviðsson and dr. Bryndís Björnsdóttir at Matís.

The website of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation contains news on bioeconomic policy for Iceland. Bioeconomic policy has been under preparation for some time and there has been extensive consultation with stakeholders. This work has been led by Matís on behalf of the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture.

The publication of the policy on the Ministry's website is part of an important consultation process and anyone wishing to address this important issue is encouraged to familiarize yourself with the draft policy and submit comments or suggestions, no later than 20 August 2016.

About bioeconomic policy

The goals of bioeconomic policy for Iceland are to support sustainable development and the development of an economy based on the utilization of living resources, across the so-called traditional industries, agriculture, fisheries and food processing. This work has sought to discuss opportunities for increased value creation within these sectors of the economy and how to support the development of new sectors in the future, how to improve utilization and reduce waste, as well as looking at the utilization of underutilized resources.

See more at website of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation.