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A large part of the capelin, blue whiting and sprat caught in Iceland is used for flour and fish oil processing and then mainly for feed production. Little is done to process the catch into more valuable products, although there have been some attempts in that direction in recent years. Full utilization of catch is a key issue for Icelandic fisheries and it is therefore important to increase the value of small fish catches.

As an example of value creation for pelagic fish, it can be mentioned that if 10,000 tonnes of blue whiting were to be dried instead of smelting, the value of that catch could be increased by ISK 1.6 billion per year.

A collaborative project is underway between Matís, Haustaks and Herring processing at Neskaupstaður on drying pelagic fish. The aim of the project is to build knowledge and adapt the drying process of fully dried products from capelin, blue whiting and saithe, using a conveyor belt dryer. Dried products for human consumption are considered in foreign markets, mainly to Africa, such as Kenya and Tanzania. Matís has been involved in development activities in these countries in recent years, regarding the drying of small fish, which is now well known in these countries. Cyprian Ogombe Odoli, a doctoral student at Matís and a graduate of the United Nations University Fisheries Training Program (www.unuftp.is), also participates in these projects.

AVS Fisheries Research Fund sponsors the project. For further information Ásbjörn Jónsson.

The fishing industry, like other industries, relies on research and product development. Experience has shown that increased value creation in the industry is based on ingenuity and Icelandic companies have done ambitious and remarkable work in that field.

Matís has often played a key role in this, being a kind of core of knowledge when it comes to the application of science in the fisheries sector and a bridge between educational institutions and the business community.

"Research and science are the future currency of the fishing industry," says Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís. He says probable knowledge and technological progress will continue to play a key role in Iceland's competitive position.

"In fact, today we have the palm in our hands because we already have a very strong fishing industry and a strong knowledge base in the industry. This is something that many other nations have yet to build and have a long way to go. "

By law, Matís' role is to increase value in the food industry, improve food security and promote public health. Matís is state-owned but operated as a public limited company and has a clear service role with the fishing industry and other food sectors, but also obligations towards the owner, the nation.

Sveinn points out that consumers, both domestically and abroad, are becoming increasingly demanding and better aware of the properties of seafood. Through innovation and research, fisheries companies are able to meet these high demands in an efficient way and create added value from the catch.

"The development that has taken place in the field of refrigeration is a good example of this. Today, about half of the fresh fillets that Icelandic companies export to Europe are transported by ship instead of air transport only, as was the case about 15 years ago, because improved technology has made it possible to extend the product's shelf life and improve fish handling throughout the value chain. The result is much greater exports of fresh fillets and fillet pieces in a cheap and environmentally friendly way, but at the same time, air transport has also developed and today offers the opportunity to handle all the most demanding buyers. Fishermen, fishermen and the staff of fish processing and transport companies have certainly looked at the needs of the market and used science to get to the next level "

As another example of the progress of recent years and decades, Sveinn mentions improved utilization of the catch. "Everything works together here, the technology that aims to increase the quality of the raw material for the general consumer also creates better raw materials for all kinds of by-products. Advances in handling and processing have led to the utilization rate of cod approaching 80%, and at the same time the proportion of the most valuable products has increased. "

Sveinn says it is clear that the supply of fish will increase greatly in the coming years, not least white fish, and increase competition in all market areas. He cites as an example Vietnam, which has stated that aquaculture will double in size over the next five years, and almost all of the fish will be exported. "In the market environment of the future, it will be crucial how we manage to build up the image of an Icelandic product and differentiate it from other seafood, such as by virtue of quality, purity and food safety. The industry needs to continue its good work, and be able to work from the right information and the latest research. "

Purity and quality, says Sveinn, driven by research and investment in technological progress, says Sveinn can become one of the strongest marketing tools for Icelandic fish. "We see it happening that the internet is changing the way all products are sold and it is foreseeable that new opportunities will be created to sell seafood directly to the consumer. There, Icelandic companies will have all the data in hand to show how good the product is, and healthy, "he predicts. "Consumers around the world are placing increasing emphasis on eating wholesome foods that are produced without adversely affecting the environment and society. These are consumers who are very aware of the health effects of food, want to know their origin and are willing to pay a high price for a nutritious product that is good for their health. In all these areas, Icelandic seafood is very strong, but our argument must be based on honesty and scientific information, not just what we think or want to say. "

^{This interview with Svein Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, first appeared in Morgunblaðið on March 26.}

UNA skincare skin products have been on the Icelandic market since 2012 and marketing and sales in foreign markets have already begun. UNA skincare ehf. is a new company established within Matís ohf. which is the largest shareholder.

UNA skincare skin care products are unique in the market. They are naturally extracted from Icelandic seaweed and contain bioactive substances that are based on years of research and have given very good results.

Now is a turning point when UNA skincare ehf. opens for the involvement of new partners for further development, marketing and distribution of UNA skincare skin care products in domestic and foreign markets. Investment in the company is also possible.

All further information provides:

Oddur Már Gunnarsson, Chairman of the Board of UNA skincare ehf. 
422 5096 // 858 5096 
www.unaskincare.com 
www.facebook.com/UNAskincare

POLSHIFTS conference in the premises of the Marine Research Institute 14-15. April 2015 | Changes in the distribution of pelagic fish stocks, effects of climate change?

The aim of the POLSHIFTS conference is to bring together scientists and stakeholders to discuss the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of pelagic fish stocks in the North Atlantic. 
There are advertisements for topics related to fishing (such as changes in access and cost of fishing grounds and adaptation of the fishing fleet from changes in the distribution of fish stocks) or the biology and ecology of pelagic fish stocks (such as changes in life history, food and spawning distribution, stock genetics and marine ecosystems). climate change may be linked to fish stocks. 

More information can be found at website of the conference.

A few points about the conference._{News first published on the website Association of companies in the fishing industry.}

Tomorrow, Matís will open a major project from the framework of the 8th European Framework Program for Research and Development (Horizon 2020). The project is about the production of seafood and how to improve the competitiveness of fisheries companies in the international market. It is managed by dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson, director of Matís and Horizon 2020's grant for the project is around ISK 750 million. The project is the third in a few years that Matís manages in the field of the value chain of seafood within Europe (EcoFishMan and MareFrame).

The competitiveness of many European fisheries and aquaculture companies has declined sharply in recent years, and growth in the continent's fisheries sector has been limited. PrimeFish's goal is to identify the main reasons and come up with proposals for improvements that promote increased innovation and competitiveness and encourage growth within the industry.

Do consumers buy fish solely on the basis of price and not on quality, uniqueness or traceability?

The quality of fish products is high in Europe, as consumers in most countries on the continent make high demands when it comes to seafood. The special position of European fisheries and aquaculture is also great, but despite this, many European seafood producers have been hit hard in recent months, not least when it comes to competition for cheaper whitefish species from Asia. Consumers may not understand the quality and uniqueness of European production, but it may also be that producers do not provide this information in a sufficiently clear way or that the influence of European consumers prevails.

How can seafood producers best communicate their message to European consumers?

Constant instability

Prices and supply of seafood on the European market have fluctuated considerably recently. years and has undermined the stability of companies' operations. A changing regulatory environment affects competitiveness and can make it difficult for companies to meet consumer demands and expectations. The examples prove that the marketing of many new seafood products has failed recently. years. Do manufacturers not understand consumers or are there other reasons? Such questions are among the issues that the Primefish project will address.

More about PrimeFish

PrimeFish is a four-year project involving companies, research institutes and universities. These include Kontali, Syntesa, INRA, Nofima, the University of Iceland, Aalborg, Parma, Stirling, Pavia, Nha Trang University in Vietnam and Memorial University in Canada. A considerable number of stakeholders, such as fisheries companies, also take part in the project.

For further information Guðmundur Stefánsson project manager PrimeFish.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), there are great opportunities in geothermal energy for developing countries, not least for food production such as drying products and other food processing.

A new report on these issues was released this week by the FAO. Iceland is taken as an example of how successful it has been to utilize geothermal energy in agriculture and in general for food production. Matís' three employees are involved in writing the book, as well as Minh Van Nguyen, a lecturer at Nah Trang University in Vietnam.

José Graziano da Silva, Executive Director of the FAO and President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, write the introductory text of the report.

Further information and interesting additional material can be found at FAO website. 

The full report: Uses of Geothermal Energy in Food and Agriculture

For further information Sigurjón Arason, Matís' chief engineer.

Matís has now created a special app for smartphones and tablets that makes it easy for fishermen to calculate the need for ice due to catch.

The applet is particularly convenient and easy to use and is useful to fishermen to calculate how much ice is needed for the catch caught. The program takes into account conditions such as sea temperature, air temperature and days at sea, as well as instructions regarding the amount of ice kg issued in addition to the number of shovels and the number of dishes.

Now it has never been easier to find out how much ice cream is needed to get the most out of our precious ingredients.

The program can be accessed on the web, í iTunes Store, í Windows Store and on Google Play (Android) or by scanning the QR codes below. The application is accessible to all major mobile operating systems.

Google Play Windows Store iTunes Store

Related material

• News Viðskiptablaðið about the new ice calculator (video).

The SustainLarvae project formally began recently with an inaugural meeting at Matís' headquarters. The project is for three years and there are three participants in the project. Matís and Sæbýli from Iceland, together FishVet Group from the UK. 

The project was successful The Eurostar program through mediation Iceland Innovation Center and funding from Technology Development Fund.  

The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate the benefits of new ways of assessing the health of invertebrates for use in aquaculture, but sea urchins from the Sæbýli farm will be used. The novelty lies in the use of DNA sequencing methods to analyze the microbial composition of farming systems and the search for microbial groups that may have a potential positive or negative effect on the biodiversity or growth of sea urchins. Rapid methods will also be set up to assess the welfare of the animals based on unwanted micro-organisms in the system and with measurements of substances and hormones that the animals release under stress. Matís will conduct experiments and research in the project, Sæbýli will provide the project with materials as well as expertise in farming methods and FishVetGroup will be involved in marketing and access to foreign markets for the project's products.

For further information Eyjólfur Reynisson at Matís.

On the 20th of March. A co-operation agreement was signed between Matís and Sólheima in Grímsnes. This agreement includes a willingness to work on a common strategy for strengthening sustainable communities in Iceland, increase work capacity and innovation in food processing and sale, strengthen food crafts in Iceland, offer domestic and foreign partners to use the facilities at Sólheimar in their projects and looking for ways to finance the partnership. Social, economic and environmental sustainability is a common aspect and will be the basis for Sólheimar's collaboration, ses. and Matís.

Sólheimar is the cradle of organic farming in Iceland and a well-known international community. In addition, Sólheimar offers internships and rehabilitation for the unemployed and other groups. Sólheimar provides students with insight into and experience of participating in a sustainable society.

Matís is a powerful company that conducts research and development of food, among other things. Matís' role is to strengthen the competitiveness of Icelandic food production in both products and the economy, while at the same time promoting good public health, food security and the sustainable use of resources.

^{From left: Magnús Ólafsson for the Sólheimar Representative Council, Oddur M. Gunnarsson, division manager at Matís,
Guðmundur Á. Pétursson, managing director of Sólheimar and Ingunn Jónsdóttir, project manager at Matís and HfSu.}

It is planned to open a food factory at Sólheimar and this workshop, like other Matís food factories, will serve all the food entrepreneurs and producers who are interested in product development, but in addition it will be useful to locals for their production and innovation. One of Matís' main emphases is support for producers who want to start processing and selling products to diversify food and create value and work in rural areas. Matarsmiðjan provides certified facilities for that processing, in addition to which the services of Matís' consultants are available to producers for product development and processing training.

Sólheimar has strong international connections. Foreign volunteers work for 3-12 months on projects in Sólheimar. Sesseljuhús has been in collaboration with the university association CELL, Center for Ecological Living and Learning, since 2008. Every year, 20-30 students from the association come to Sólheimar and do part of their studies there.

Matís collaborates with many domestic and foreign universities on teaching and student projects. Annually, 30-40 students work on their research projects at Matís. Matís' co-operation with parties and support funds in other countries is very extensive and the company has been a leader in projects on strengthening food crafts, on the Nordic bioeconomy and the European project on sustainable use of resources and innovation.

For further information Oddur M. Gunnarsson division manager at Matís.