Aurora Seafood and Matís have compiled a report on indirect fishing for crucian carp off Iceland, possible direct fishing and the possibility of value creation from products.
A number of captains engaged in plow fishing were interviewed, where they were asked for their opinion on the possibilities of using crucian carp and whether they considered direct fishing likely to be successful. The captain's views were very different and it is not possible to talk about the results of that survey.
During the measurements, it was disappointing how high the amount of cadmium was measured in crucian carp, both caught off the east coast of Iceland and the west coast. The permitted levels of cadmium for food products are only 0.5 mg in Art. but the measured quantity was 6.3 to the east and 2.5 to the west. Proximity to volcanic activity is known to cause cadmium pollution in slow-moving demersal fish, and conditions in Iceland are exactly that.
It was also disappointing how quickly the crucian carp decomposed and the samples became mashed due to enzyme activity in one to two days. The protein content of crucian carp is only about 12%, but the water content is about 67%. Based on these results, it is not considered likely that cruciferous fish can be used for human consumption. Aurora Seafood has exported frozen crucian carp to the United States, but it hardly returns the cost of packaging, freezing and transport, so there is no value creation in the production.
The project that included this preliminary study of fishing and processing of crucian carp off Iceland was supported by the Food Fund (AVS Fisheries Research Fund). It would have been impossible to carry out this project without support.
A final report on the preliminary study of fishing and processing of crucian carp can be found here.