Category: News

A committee on the review of fisheries management in the Faroe Islands recently submitted a report. By its nature, it deals with more than just fisheries management alone, and the report examines the diversity of the fisheries sector, the goals and potential benefits of fishing, processing, distribution and sale of seafood through innovation and traceability. The committee looks beyond the 18 islands and compares the arrangements and developments in the fisheries sector in Norway and Iceland with the Faroese fisheries sector.

The committee took into account, among other things, co-operation which has aimed to bring all catches from three sea areas ashore under the heading "All in land". Special attention is paid to research and development in the fisheries sector, and in this connection special attention is paid to the Icelandic fisheries sector and the co-operation that Matís has led in close co-operation with Icelandic companies in the fisheries sector and companies that serve fisheries companies. The Committee considers that research and development in the interests of food production needs to be prioritized. The committee also proposes to examine whether a food research unit similar to Matís in the Faroe Islands should be established.

It is pointed out that technological innovation has been a prerequisite for increasing value throughout the value chain of marine products, and Icelanders are said to have been particularly diligent in developing new technology. In the context of innovation, it is mentioned that Matís and examples such as better and faster cooling, better bleeding and washing, new cooling technology, shorter endurance and towing time and fisheries management with regard to market requirements are mentioned.

In the final words of the report, Matís says that the Faroe Islands can be an inspiration in research for the benefit of food production, as research and development can have a decisive effect on making the processing of an increased part of the catch on land possible.

Matís-ingar, but in such a way Matís employees often refer to themselves, are really happy with our cousins in the Faroe Islands and compliments from this direction encourage us even more.

Summary of the Association of Companies in the Fisheries Sector (SFS) on fisheries management in the Faroe Islands.

From the Faroese report, the report can be found in its entirety here. 

10.4.1 The project "All in land"

The project focused on demersal fisheries in three islands: the Faroe Islands, the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea, and work was done immediately in four countries: Norway, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Other partners in the project were the companies Nofima in Norway and Matís in Iceland and Nátturugranskingarstovan in Greenland. Av tí at frágreiðingin varð lidug í juni í ár, so fer umrøðan av hesum evninum at vera nogg grundað á greiningarnar og vörstøðurna frá verkætlanini.

10.5.1 Comparisons between Norway and Iceland

Technological innovation is one of the decisive factors in increasing value. Her hava íslendingar vera serstakliga dugnaligir at menna nýggja tøkni í øllum liðum. One of the most important players in this culture is the food review agency, Matís (www.matis.is). Better and faster cooling, better soaking and washing, new icing technology, shortened touring length and towing time and the organization of the fishing fleet after ten, some markets want, are examples of technological innovation and better boarding of fishing vessels.

10.6 Investigation and culture

Some people have said that the Icelandic fishing industry has had enough in the last year. One of the most important parts of this culture is dental examination, some of the food stalls, Matís, have been at the forefront in close collaboration with the work.

The committee estimates that the general agreement with the work should be such that culture and scrutiny of food production will be regulated in the Faroe Islands. In this connection, it may be considered to place one food inspection stand on a stand, some of which Matís has some model.

10.7 Conclusions and recommendations

The committee considers it crucial that the culture and scrutiny of food production be regulated. Lack of profitability is a significant resource in order to get a larger part of the fish ashore, and here research and culture may have a decisive play. The Icelandic research institute, Matís, may be an inspiration for research in food production.

From the SFS summary (from page 22.):

Technological development and innovation are key conditions for value added, and the Faroese report states that Icelanders have been particularly at the forefront of developing new technology throughout the value chain. The report makes special reference to Matís' work, which more often than not works closely with the companies. We can also mention the AVS fund and the initiatives of the companies themselves and their cooperation with powerful and progressive companies that serve the fishing industry. Various technologies have been developed that contribute to, among other things, better cooling, improved handling of catch on board and product development. Transport of goods is also a key factor, but significant progress has been made in reducing the number of bottlenecks in transport and shortening the time between production and delivery of goods from Iceland. The report pays special attention to Matís' operations in Iceland with regard to research and development.

The idea for the Superchilling of fish project, which is a joint project of Grieg Seafood in Norway, 3X Technology, Matís, Iceprotein, FISK Seafood, Skagans, Hätälä in Finland and Norway Seafood in Denmark with support from Nordic Innovation and Rannís, was chosen as The avant-garde idea of the Fisheries Conference 2016, and was awarded the Sviföld, at the conference that took place at the end of November.

Svifaldan, the prize for the Future Policy Idea of the Fisheries Conference 2016, was now awarded for the sixth time, but the goal is to strengthen discussions and encourage new thinking with progressive and original ideas. Svifaldan is donated by TM, but at the same time prize money and awards were given to those who stand for the three best ideas.

For this reason, supercooling was chosen as the Future Policy Idea of the Fisheries Conference 2016 and Albert Högnason from 3X accepted the award at the conference. With the reception of Sviföldan, the spotlight is on the collaborative project and the collaboration that results in increased knowledge of fish cooling.

Svifaldan 2016 Albert Högnason, 3X, Gunnar Þórðarson, Matís | Svifaldan 2016 | Copyright Gusti.

About the supercooling project

Significant research has been carried out on the effects of supercooling on processing and product quality in the fisheries and aquaculture production, and the results are decisive. Supercooling refers to the transfer of cooling energy into the fish muscle immediately after fishing / slaughter, as less than 20% of the water content is frozen. In demersal fish, the target is to cool down to -0.7 ° C and -1.5 ° C in salmon, which is fat and therefore has a lower freezing point. In both cases there is a phase change at these temperatures and it takes a considerable amount of energy to go below them. Extensive research has been done on supercooling and it has been shown that there is no damage to cells due to ice crystal formation as long as cooling is within the definition. There can be great opportunities in transporting super-chilled fresh fish (salmon / catfish) as a lot is saved by getting rid of ice in the transport chain, especially by air. About 10% of the weight of conventional products during transport is ice and therefore both financial and environmental benefits with the method. Reducing the footprint in the production and transport of fish products is an important marketing tool for the future. The main difference, however, is that better fillet quality has been demonstrated by supercooling, and thus the method may increase the quality of fish products.

For further information, contact Matís Gunnar Þórðarson.

Guðmundur Stefánsson from Matís recently visited Varðin Pelagic for a mackerel project and gave a lecture on the importance of research and innovation in the fisheries sector for young people in Tvøroyri on Suðurey, where Varðin Pelagic is located.

News about this will appear on website of the Guard Pelagic.
For further information Guðmundur Stefánsson at Matís.

Matís was a participant in a conference organized by CCFI (The Canadian Center for Fisheries Innovation) www.ccfi.ca) 15.-16. last November but the conference (Process Automation in Seafood Processing www.ccfi.co/workshop) discussed the future of technology and the use of automation in fish processing in Canada.

In recent years, technological development in pelagic and catfish processing has accelerated rapidly in Iceland and other countries are now looking to us and the results that have been achieved here.

The Icelandic representatives at the conference were Sæmundur Elíasson from Matís and Ögmundur Knútsson from the University of Akureyri.

Sæmundur's talk was about the technological development that has taken place in the Icelandic fishing industry. In pelagic processing, the result has been that fishing and processing processes are mostly automatic and nowhere in the process does the human hand touch the fish. The procedure increases food safety and facilitates product traceability through the processing processes.

The catfish processing plant in Iceland has traditionally required more hard work in processing, but recent technological solutions are reversing this trend so that more jobs are being transferred to quality management and control. In the land processing of catfish, there has been a revolution in fillet cutting technology, which now takes place in automatic machines. Larger processes also have technologically advanced packaging and finishing of products where robots take care of the work.

A factor in the technologicalization of Icelanders has also stretched its wings to the sea, where the control of bleeding and cooling processes has increased. The latest trawlers will also be equipped with automation for moving tanks from the middle deck and down to the ships' trains, a development that will revolutionize the working environment of seafarers and increase both human safety and catch on board. Finally, the presentation reviewed the incentives and challenges of the parties involved in technological development, where the cooperation of the manufacturer, developer, research and government is a key factor in success.

Ögmundur's talk dealt with the history and development of the Icelandic fisheries sector, where the development of fisheries management, fishing, the fleet was reviewed and placed in the context of value creation, which has increased considerably in recent decades. Despite less catches, Icelanders have managed to increase the value creation of the fish that comes from the sea with improved utilization and more valuable products. Technology and automation have played a major role in this development and also helped to standardize production and extend the shelf life of fresh products, which is important for Icelanders due to their distance from markets.

Icelanders 'emphasis on this technological development has created opportunities for exporting technological solutions, and Canadians' interest did not go unnoticed. Their conditions are in many ways different, as the greatest value of seafood is in crab, lobster and shellfish processing. Great emphasis is placed on these valuable species while catfish and pelagic fish meet the surplus. It aroused the interest of Canadians how much value Icelanders can create from that raw material and there was also a lot of talk about the efficiency of the Icelandic fisheries management system in comparison with the Canadian one.

It is clear that technologicalization and the automation of the fisheries sector lead to many opportunities, and it is interesting that Icelanders are a leading force in this development. This development will create a need for increased education and expertise in the industry and change jobs in the fisheries sector, where production capacity and product quality increase significantly.

Increased value of data - projects funded by AVS. The aim of the project is to design and set up a central product description system for Icelandic seafood, which provides a much greater possibility for a detailed analysis of exports than the customs register system alone can offer.

The project is led by the Association of Companies in the Fisheries Sector and Matís ohf, but also includes the Directorate of Customs, Statistics Iceland, Icelandic Group, Iceland Seafood International, Ögurvík hf, Brim hf and Markó Partners.

It has always been difficult to estimate the volume of exports and the value of individual species, as many tariff codes contain the words "other", "other" or "other" and therefore do not indicate the type of fish in question. The value of these products was over ISK 20 billion in 2014 and the third most valuable "species" after cod and mackerel products.
 
The lighthouse will, among other things, solve this and ensure reliable data on sustainable utilization and value creation in the Icelandic fisheries sector. The manufacturer's product descriptions will be standardized and based on the "Fish Industry Concepts". Product descriptions will be linked to the customs register and it will therefore be simpler to choose the correct customs register number when it comes to exports.
 
The lighthouse makes it possible to simplify the customs register as soon as new goods are immediately visible in the export documents. The lighthouse will make it possible for companies to better analyze their own position, opportunities for value creation, etc.
 
Vitans' employees are the computer scientists: Daníel Agnarsson and Friðrik Valdimarsson, they are based at SFS and have the e-mail address: vitinn@sfs.is
 
Vitan's project manager is Ingvi Georgsson at SFS ( ingvi@sfs.is )
 
Matís' project manager is Páll Gunnar Pálsson ( pallp@matis.is )

Marel and Matís present a new video that shows how modern technology has completely changed processing methods in fish processing and made Iceland a focal point for development and innovation in the industry.

Requirements for quality, traceability and processing speed are very important in fish processing. Marel works closely with companies in the fisheries sector and has developed various solutions in collaboration with the most progressive fish producers in Iceland, large and small. These device and software solutions enable manufacturers to maximize utilization, performance and profitability.

Marel has a research group that works to increase knowledge of new technology in collaboration with a number of companies, universities and research institutes in Iceland and abroad. With constant innovation in mind, Marel has transformed from a start-up company into a world leader in its field.

About Marel and Matís

Marel is one of Iceland's largest export companies and a world leader in the development and production of advanced equipment and systems for fish processing. Marel employs over 4,700 people worldwide. 

Matís provides advice and services around the world to companies in the fisheries and agriculture sectors, as well as the Icelandic state. Matís works on the development of new products and processes for companies through the application of science and has an important role to play in terms of food quality and safety.

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

The article is called "Avian abundance and communities in areas revegetated with exotic versus native plant species"And is by Brynja Davíðsdóttir, Tómas Grétar Gunnarsson, Guðmund Halldórsson and Bjarni Diðrik Sigurðsson.

The authors studied the effects of different land reclamation measures on the density and species composition of birds and on the number of small animals. In 26 places in the country were compared; a) uncultivated area, b) restoration of peatlands and c) land that had been replanted with Alaska lupine. There was a great difference in the number of birds between vegetations. On uncultivated land, there were an average of 31 birds per square kilometer, 337 on reclaimed peatlands and 627 on land that had been replanted with lupine. As there were more birds, there were also more small animals that are important birds' food. 

The restoration of peatlands was mostly about wading birds, a species that is declining worldwide, but in lupins there was more about more common species. Heiðlóa and lóuþræll were the most common species in the restoration of peatlands, but horsetail and tufted duck in lupine. The density of some bird species seemed to depend on the level of development of land reclamation areas. This study shows that land reclamation increases the biodiversity of animal species, but different land reclamation measures lead to different ecosystem developments.

3X Technology and Matís, in collaboration with companies in Iceland (The peninsula, FISH Seafood and Iceprotein), in Norway (Grieg Seafood), Finland (Hätälä) and Denmark (Norway Seafood), have for some time now been working on research into supercooling and its effects on the processing and quality of marine products. 3X and Matís are among three parties that have been nominated for Sviföld 2016, The avant-garde idea of the Fisheries Conference, but the results will be announced at the Fisheries Conference which will be held this week in Harpa. 

The Fisheries Conference is held every year and has established itself as the main communication platform for all those involved in the fisheries sector in Iceland. The nomination each time is a great honor but Gunnar Þórðarson, a consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords, has carried the heat and burden within Matís around this research project.

Svifaldan 2016 - from the website of the Fisheries Conference

Overcooling

Applicants have been conducting supercooling research for the past six months in collaboration with parties in Iceland, Norway, Finland and Denmark, with the support of the Nordic Innovation Center Nordic Innovation, as part of Nordic Marine Innovation 2.0. These are companies that conduct research, fishing, aquaculture, processing and further processing for the consumer market. The project will be completed by the end of next year, with the aim of bringing all results to the Nordic fishing and aquaculture industries as quickly as possible.

Gunnar Þórðarson, consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords 

Significant research has been carried out on the effects of supercooling on processing and product quality in the fisheries and aquaculture production, and the results are decisive. Supercooling refers to the transfer of cooling energy into the fish muscle immediately after fishing / slaughter, as less than 20% of the water content is frozen. In demersal fish, the target is to cool down to -0.7 ° C and -1.5 ° C in salmon, which is fat and therefore has a lower freezing point. In both cases there is a phase change at these temperatures and it takes a considerable amount of energy to go below them. Extensive research has been done on supercooling and it has been shown that there is no damage to cells due to ice crystal formation as long as cooling is within the definition. There can be great opportunities in transporting super-chilled fresh fish (salmon / catfish) as a lot is saved by getting rid of ice in the transport chain, especially by air. About 10% of the weight of conventional products during transport is ice and therefore both financial and environmental benefits with the method. Reducing the footprint in the production and transport of fish products is an important marketing tool for the future.

Status of idea: Research project

Contacts Gunnar Þórðarson, Matís and Albert Högnason, 3X Technology

More on website of the Fisheries Conference

Reception of abstracts (abstracts) for presentations and poster presentations for all World Seafood Congress seminars, which will be held in Reykjavík from 10-13. September 2017.

Conditions

Excerpts must be related to the seminar in question, the poster or the contribution of the presentation must be explained for increased knowledge, discussion or awareness raising regarding the topics of the conference as a whole or individual seminars.

How to submit an extract?

Send an excerpt to the email address wsc2017@matis.is  where the following is stated (copy and paste the following eight items into the email and fill in the appropriate):

1. Name of seminar, date and time where a presentation is requested or a poster is connected (see more in the conference agenda The World Seafood Congress theme sessions).
2. Suggestion for poster name or presentation (maximum 80 characters)
3. Association / relationship
4. Name of speaker or author (s) of poster
5. Contact (if other than the speaker)
6. 150 word excerpt
7. Photograph and short biography of the speaker or the main author of a poster
8. Special requirements if any

Extracts will be accepted until December 15, 2016.

The WSC 2017 Scientific Committee will be guided by diversity in the selection of speakers / women and look at their background, relationships, ethnicity and gender.

WSC 2017 reserves the right to approve or reject one
or any extracts that may be received.

Further information: http://www.wsc2017.com/contact

Skaginn / 3X Technology in collaboration with Matís and Westfjords companies working in the fisheries and aquaculture industry, ie Arnarlax and Íslandssaga, with the support of the AVS Fisheries Research Fund, have studied the effects of supercooling on death stiffness in salmon and cod.

Local collaboration on projects that have an impact

The results of the project can be used to increase knowledge about the death stiffness of fish and thus be a contribution to the discussion on increased product quality. It is well known that fish stiffens at the onset of death and is more often than not treated in such a condition, moved between vessels after landing as well as being gutted and cared for. With a large and powerful contraction in the death rigidity, loosening can occur in fillets which reduces the quality of the raw material. It is important to adapt processing to lethal stiffening and control the process to prevent quality loss, such as loosening and poorer texture.

Comparison of conventional cooling and supercooling

The purpose of the study was, on the one hand, to investigate the effect of supercooling on death stiffness and to compare it with conventional cooling. Supercooling is defined as cooling below 0 ° C, but not in such a way that ice crystals form which can damage cells in the raw material. Another purpose of the project was to create promotional material that could be used to introduce stakeholders in the fisheries sector to the importance of managing the mortality process. Until now, death sterilization has been described with photographs and drawings, but in this project the aim was to take advantage of new opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge, such as videos.

The study

A study was conducted on cod and salmon and it was carried out at two different seasons for cod, but there can be great differences in the condition of the raw material depending on when the fish is caught. The study was twofold in that, on the one hand, data were obtained on the effect of cooling on the death solidification process, where the groups were compared; super-chilled and traditional and on the other hand promotional material was prepared.

Supercooling in cod is based on cooling down to -0.8 ° C and salmon at -1.5 ° C, while conventional cooling is based on 0 ° C for both species. Differences between groups were examined as well as comparing differences within groups. Small differences, standard deviations, within groups indicate a more accurate result.

Comparison of the quality of four-day-old salmon fillets, traditional left-hand side and super-chilled right-hand side

results

The results show that there is a large difference in the contraction of the mortality process depending on whether the fish is supercooled or uses conventional cooling. It can be concluded that there are benefits to using supercooling for lethal stiffness, which reduces contractions and consequently reduces tension between muscles and skeletal system in the process.

The results of the project show well the effect of increased cooling on the death solidification process and images can be useful as teaching material and for use in meetings and conferences. Videos of the death-hardening process in salmon and cod were posted on the Internet to distribute them as efficiently as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mKYQ_CFC_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE8JNG8esWA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2U3RYDAFic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYPbtkRogJ4

Discussion

In view of the fact that fillets cut from the spine before death stiffen are significantly shortened beyond the fillets on the spine throughout the process, the question must be answered as to whether this shortening has any effect on the quality of the products. Farmed fish are known to be filleted immediately after slaughter before the freezing process, so it is important to know the effect on taste and texture. It is also important to be able to measure the timing of when the death solidification process ends, but this requires accurate measurements that were outside the scope of this study.

For further information Gunnar Þórðarson, consultant at Matís and station manager for the company in the Westfjords.

Project: The effect of mortality on the quality of fish fillets - (R 16 014-16)