Category: News

King bait fishing has been practiced in Iceland for a long time and has been used both for bait and for human consumption. In Eggert Ólafsson's Travelogue from 1772, it is reported that the bait king was considered a great gentleman's food among the inhabitants of Breiðafjörður. However, it was not until 1996 that king bait fishing and processing for export really began in this country, but the company Sægarpur in Grundarfjörður paved the way. Since then, fishing in Iceland has varied somewhat from year to year, with market conditions having the greatest impact. The fishing has been practiced almost exclusively in Breiðafjörður and there are mainly two companies that have fished and processed vigorously, ie. Sægarpur in Grundarfjörður and Royal Iceland in Reykjanesbær. Sægarp's operations went bankrupt in 2013 and since then Royal Iceland has been one of the fishing companies.

The kingfishers' world catch has been around 30-35 thousand tonnes a year, with the United Kingdom and France being the largest pledge nations. There are good markets for bait king in many parts of Central and Southern Europe, as well as all over Asia. Icelandic production has, however, by far mostly gone to markets in Asia, such as China, Korea and Japan.

It is known that in certain market areas there is a considerable demand for live bait king and in some cases a higher price is paid for such a product. The relatives of Sægarp in Grundarfjörður therefore decided to investigate whether fishing, processing and exporting of live bait king was a viable option. They therefore got Matís on board and with the loyal support of the AVS fund, extensive research and experimental activities were undertaken.

Experiments were carried out with different catch treatments on board a fishing vessel and storage or transport, which gave indications that with the right handling and finishing it would be possible to keep the bait king alive for approx. week. however, the aim had been to ensure at least 10 days of survival in order for it to be considered realistic to intend to export a live bait king. However, the results of the experiments showed that when more than a week had passed since the hunt, survival decreased rapidly and the meat had become unfit for consumption on the tenth day. It is possible that these processes could be better developed to ensure better survival, but based on these results, the shelf life is not long enough to be considered a viable option at this time.

Attempts were also made to keep the bait king alive in a cycle system in a fish tank. The aim of these experiments was to investigate whether it was possible to store live bait king in a "warehouse" for processing on land. A circuit system was equipped with filter equipment that was sufficient to keep the bait king alive for a week. It is not unlikely that this time can be extended with more powerful filtering equipment than was used in these experiments. These results must be considered positive and conducive to the fact that they could be taken up by companies that process bait king.
Markets for live bait king were also examined, but it can be said that this survey has finally brought home the truth that the export of live bait king is not a viable option. It is simply a better option to win the bait king here at home. If market conditions change, however, it is not ruled out that processes can be improved to make such exports possible.

The final report of this project is now available here.

Recently, a really interesting project was launched at Matís in collaboration with the University of Iceland, a project that has been named Nýbylgja bragð. The aim of the project is to develop valuable healthy flavors from large algae that can replace salt and be used as flavor enhancing units, ie. substances / compounds or their natural mixtures. The unique properties of the flavors will be used to develop less salty and tastier foods.

It is expected that the flavoring will be used to reduce the use of salt in food and also as a flavoring ingredient for food. A 3D (3D) food printer will be used to develop new healthy products with low salt content, cool appearance and good taste.

The project is part of a master's project in Food and Nutrition University of Iceland.

It should be noted that the project is based on previous projects that have been carried out at Matís; national, Nordic and European projects.

The project is funded by AVS.

Sveinn Margeirsson, CEO of Matís, has resigned after 8 years. Matís is a strong company with strong human resources. Matís' board thanks Sveinn for his contribution to the company. Under his leadership and with the involvement of powerful staff, their ingenuity and knowledge, Matís has grown.

Oddur Már Gunnarsson is the current CEO as of today. Further information is provided by Sjöfn Sigurgísladóttir, Chairman of the Board of Matís.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2018, Dr. Ira Levine, President of the Algae Foundation and Professor at the University of Southern Maine with a presentation on algae and algae cultivation.

One of the goals of Dr. Ira Levine to Iceland is establishing contacts between parties in algae cultivation in Maine and Iceland. The Algae Foundation offers free teaching materials that he will present as well as share his experience. Two lectures will be held, one focusing on algae and the other on algae.

More information about the event can be found here.

Just now this ended an amazing episode in the news commentary show Kveik which is shown on RÚV on Tuesday nights. This time it was plastic, both microplastic and plastic that birds and other animals have eaten.

The eyes of rulers around the world have been opened to the threat posed to us by plastic. For example, the European Union is aiming for a major effort in these matters, and it is clear that the next research plans, especially the one starting in 2021, will take these priorities into account.

Of course, it did not go unnoticed how much of a shock it was for Sigríður Halldórsdóttir at RÚV to see the results of Matís' research on water from washing machines, water that goes directly down to our drains and out to sea. Matís has been a strong participant in research and discussion of these issues in recent years, and the company, together with partners, has pushed for the issue of plastic pollution, especially microplastics, to be given greater weight.

Matís has built up a strong infrastructure and knowledge for research on plastics in the environment, participated in research projects on plastics, is a participant in the government's consultation forum on an action plan in the field of plastics and will lead a project within the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2019-2021, which will focus on building a foundation for research and monitoring of plastics, to name but a few.

Plastic pollution is a real threat to the marine environment. We Icelanders have a lot to do with the marine environment, as the fishing industry has been our main industry in recent decades. It is therefore important that the existing knowledge is used to the fullest to counteract the great danger of plastic pollution in the sea. Are we going to use the resources of the ocean in the way that has been and even better? In order for this to be possible, it is necessary to conduct research on all aspects of the value chain of marine products, from the marine environment to fishing and processing and on behalf of consumers, as well as what arises from fish processing.

Matís builds on a good foundation here, as the company and its predecessor (Rannsóknastofnun fiskiðnaðarins) have worked hard together with partners in the industry, in increasing the value of seafood in a sustainable way.

It was often necessary, but now it is necessary to join hands and apply the science to prevent the marine ecosystem around Iceland from being permanently damaged. We need to research the situation, assess the risks that exist and see the positive opportunities that exist if we are to take a strong step forward.

Go ahead!

A new project has just started at the Marine Research Institute and Matís. The project is called eCAP and involves tracking capelin with the surrounding gene (eDNA).

eCAP aims to use DNA found in the environment (ocean) to find and track capelin to increase knowledge of its changing distribution and to improve stock size assessments and fisheries in Icelandic waters. It will benefit the Icelandic fisheries sector, provide new and better methods for estimating stock size and help to assess the total allowable catch. ECAP will also lead to lower carbon emissions in the Icelandic fleet, as it can be expected that less need to sail in search of capelin, if the project's goals are achieved.  

Marine Research Institute, Marine and Water Research and Consulting Institute, manages the project.

The project is funded by Technology Development Fund.

A new project is about to start with Matís and partners. The project is particularly practical and involves the redesign and improvement of the bleeding and cooling equipment Dreka, which has been manufactured by Micro Ryðfrí Smíði ehf. from 2012 but the equipment has been used on board ships with good results.

The aim of the project is to increase the quality of raw materials and homogeneity of products with equipment that also ensures simple operation on board and takes up little space compared to other comparable solutions. To achieve these goals, the project aims to deliver the following three products:

Redesign of the Draka bleeding and cooling equipment with automation in mind.

Design of a vertical Dragon that can be placed between the tires, thus saving valuable space on board and also creating opportunities to improve blood drainage with increased fluid pressure during the bleeding process.

Design of a new solution that combines bleeding and cooling into one integrated. These solutions will then be tested and their results will be used in the preparation of marketing material.

Matís' partners in this project are Micro Ryðfrí Smíði ehf. and Skinney Þinganes.

Project management: Micro

Strength: Technology Development Fund

Photo / picture: Magnús Óskarsson for Matís

The condition of mackerel caught within Icelandic jurisdiction makes it difficult to process. Studies on the possibilities of filleting and storing mackerel show that dark muscle under redness is sensitive to cravings. The aim of a project currently underway within Matís is to assess the possibility of mackerel fillet cutting and what effect the processing has on their quality and stability. Removing red and dark muscle could result in much more valuable fillet products as well as creating a platform for utilizing the side raw material in valuable food products.

Preliminary experiments have shown that it is possible to remove redness and dark muscle without damaging the fillet, but a lot of work needs to be done to adjust the equipment, do research on the stability of skinless fillets as well as look for ways to use the side raw material that falls off. then processing. Processing mackerel caught within Icelandic jurisdiction in high-quality skinless mackerel fillets and side raw materials in other value-added products can create a great increase in value for everyone who comes, the Icelandic fishing industry, the nation and the environment.

The project is funded by the Technology Development Fund and partners are the University of Iceland, Síldarvinnslan and Ísfélag Vestmannaeyja.

The debate on agriculture has intensified recently. The discussion has revolved around antibiotic-resistant bacteria in food, micro-slaughter and risk assessment, to name but a few. But how do Icelanders stand when it comes to building scientific knowledge on the state of food security in Iceland?

In 2014, Matís, in collaboration with BfR in Germany, Matvælastofnun, the Ministry of Industry and Innovation and other parties, embarked on the implementation of the project. Safe Foods. Its main goal was to build research infrastructure so that, among other things, pesticides could be detected in fruit and vegetables in a better way than before. Today, a total of 187 pesticides can be detected with the equipment that Matís has at its disposal.

The purpose of the Food Act is to ensure, as far as possible, the quality, safety and hygiene of food. With the update of the law in 2010, in accordance with European food legislation from 2002, much greater emphasis was placed on risk assessment and information dissemination than before, and scientific data play a key role in this context. Below you can see the main information on pesticide measurements in recent years that has been published in the annual reports of the Food Administration.

For further information, contact Vordís Baldursdóttir and Sveinn Margeirsson at Matís.

Significant progress has been made in the development of storage containers for whole fresh fish in recent decades. The re-launch that took place in the eighties, for example, has made life so much easier for fishermen and has meant that it takes much less time to get the catch down to the train and land it. The most common tanks, however, are so large that there is a risk that their use will have a negative effect on the quality of the catch, if not done correctly. 

It is therefore important to work carefully with icing and alignment in the pots, but it is known that the pressure that forms on the fish at the bottom of the pots affects the appearance, release and weight loss. Recently came out report by Matís where the question is asked what are the main advantages and disadvantages of different transport packaging for whole fresh fish, and then the focus is mainly on container fish, and whether the choice of packaging affects the quality and value of the catch.

The report discusses the export of containerized fish, the value chain of containerized fish, the containers that have been used for the storage and transport of containerized fish, and the issues to consider when processing, storing and transporting whole fresh fish. In addition, the relationship between price and quality of catch sold on auction markets is briefly discussed.

An experiment carried out by exporting containerized fish in four different types of containers is also discussed, where it was to be investigated whether there were differences in quality, weight loss and the value of the catch. However, this experiment did not provide sufficient reliable information to establish whether the type of transport container affected the aforementioned factors. However, the development that has taken place in the production and sale of pots shows that more and more companies are choosing smaller pots, and this should therefore be a good indication that the size of the pots matters. However, the experiment clearly showed that it would be very difficult to re-box the Icelandic fleet. Icelandic sailors have become accustomed to pots and have little interest in returning; in addition, the installation in trains is today designed for pots. In addition, it is common for Icelandic vessels to catch fish that simply do not fit in the boxes that are available, due to their size. However, it is not ruled out that in some cases, boxes could be a good option for exporting whole fresh fish, for example more valuable catches such as sole or "anglerfish tail".

The project was funded by the AVS Fund.

Picture at the top of the page: Jónas R. Viðarsson