One of the biggest and most valuable changes in exports over the last 10-20 years is the large increase in the production of fresh fillets and fillet pieces. Since 1997, exports of these products have almost quadrupled in tonnes, from around 9,000 tonnes to almost 34,000 tonnes in 2013, and moreover, exports are now to a much greater extent by ship than before.
Chilled fish
In 2000, more than 500 tonnes of fresh fillets were exported by ship, but now this figure for 2013 is just over 15,000 tonnes, or just under half of the exports.
Changes of this magnitude do not occur unless many things happen and we who are researching why, why and how changes affect us are quite convinced that research and development projects in recent years have had a significant impact on this success. This development was encouraged by interested stakeholders, and it is true that the motivation lay in research and development work, which was supported by a framework program for research and development in Europe, the Rannís Technology Development Fund and AVS.
In collaboration with fisheries, production and transport companies, a great deal of knowledge and skill has been developed on how best to handle fresh seafood and maintain quality. We must also not forget the value of courses on improved catch management or other educational material.
The fresh fish book recently launched on the web is an important link in disseminating knowledge to all the many who are involved in creating the most value from the nation's resources.
Based on data from Statistics Iceland. For further information Páll Gunnar Pálsson at Matís.