Matís ohf. is currently working on a traceability project in collaboration with domestic and foreign companies involved in the value chain of containerized fish sold on the auction markets in Hull and Grimsby.
The partners are Atlantic Fresh Ltd., Fishgate Hull Fish Auction, Grimsby Fish Market, The Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish), Samskip, a number of Icelandic fishing companies that are in regular business with Atlantic Fresh Ltd. and several large and small stakeholders in the markets of Hull and Grimsby such as Yorkshire & Humber Seafood Group, Grimsby Fish Merchants Association etc. The project is funded by the AVS Fund, in addition to which funding has come from Seafish and stakeholders in British fish processing. The aim of the project is to increase traceability and information flow in the entire value chain and to create value from that information. The project began in the summer of 2006 when Matís and Atlantic Fresh began collecting sales data from nine vessels that have been in regular business with Atlantic Fresh. Once sales data had been collected for one year, three of these vessels were obtained to increase traceability and information flow to potential buyers. This involved, among other things, tagging all the catch and providing various information to Atlantic Fresh about the catch. Atlantic Fresh was then able to better inform potential buyers about the fish that was expected to be for sale and then let that information accompany the product all the way to the floor of the fish markets. This arrangement was maintained for three months and then the sales data were analyzed; where both the effect of the change on fish prices for each vessel was examined, as well as in comparison with the nine vessels that were in the initial sample. Preliminary results indicate that increased traceability and information flow do not have a significant effect on fish prices, for example in comparison with supply and demand. As supply is very volatile, prices fluctuate somewhat between weeks and even days.
As part of the project, a website is currently being prepared where it will be possible to provide information on the expected supply to buyers. This website will be part of Seafish's information network, ie. Seafood Information Network (SIN) and buyers should be able to see on Friday what the supply from each vessel will be in the following week. It is possible that shipping companies can use this site to provide further information to buyers, for example, the idea has arisen that one of the vessels will be equipped with webcams.
The project has been useful in establishing a strong network within the value chain, for example, Matís employees have traveled to the UK to introduce themselves to local stakeholders and to examine the situation. A group of buyers has also twice come to Iceland in connection with the project to get acquainted with the situation in this country and to hold meetings on the progress of the project.
A new angle emerged on the project in October following the collapse of the banks and the ensuing disputes between the nations. Buyers in the UK then became very worried about the effect the situation could have on the supply of container fish from Iceland, and therefore asked Matís that the company would make short reports on the impact of the banking crisis on the Icelandic fishing industry. It is the opinion of the project partners that these reports have helped to inform buyers in the UK about the state of affairs and, among other things, enabled them to use their influence to facilitate payments for the fish to arrive in Iceland. It should be noted that payments for container fish were the first payments received from the UK after the bank collapse. fish markets in Hull and Grimsby and assess the impact of raw material age on price formation, in collaboration with Atlantic Fresh.