Researchers from The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen are urging the seafood sector to understand why it could be missing out on netting the full potential of its catch by gaining more value from by-products.

The team of researchers has been examining opportunities to achieve better value throughout the seafood supply chain, including from by-products.

Fish oil and fish meal are already being produced as by-products in Scotland, but other opportunities worldwide include extracting insulin from fish eyes, using fish skin for leather and even skin grafts, and using shellfish shells for land drainage.

The team of economic and social science researchers is now calling on the wider seafood sector to take an online survey to help them understand the potential.

“We would like the industry to help us identify wher the best opportunities are and find ways to overcome the barriers to unlock them,” says Dr. Nazli Koseoglu, an applied economist at the James Hutton Institute.

“A challenge in the seafood industry is a lack of data on what could be processed, which is why we’re keen for people to take the survey from right across the sector. Initial findings suggest there are other challenges, such as the cost of labor for processing, which would be needed to segregate materials for use, as well as storage of by-products and the variability of catch, which makes scaling and setting up supply chains difficult.”

Higher-value uses

Speaking to Food Ingredients First, she shares that changes like this could mean new income streams for the wider fish/seafood industry as well as more efficient and higher-value uses of by-product materials.

“Some places like Iceland for instance, are ahead of the game in terms of having progressively increased the use ratio of their catch and its added value thanks to their long-term commitment and vision. While conditions are different in different locations, long-term commitment and vision are required in each,” explains Koseoglu.

She underscores that the opportunities to add value to seafood by-products depend on factors such as their characteristics, amount, and location, but the opportunities are vast.

Commenting on funding and investments in this area, Koseoglu expects that “as concepts like circular and blue economies gain popularity and visibility in the policy sphere, more funding opportunities will become available.”

Spotlight on Scotland

One major challenge in the Scottish seafood industry is a lack of data on what could be processed, which is why applied economists like Koseoglu are keen for people to take the survey from right across the sector.

“For instance, in Scotland, a large amount of the fish and shellfish landed locally is exported, with processing potentially happening elsewher, which could also limit opportunities for getting more value from by-products. But we need to learn more, which is why it’s important people take the survey. If we can help pinpoint what the opportunities are, it could also help bring in innovative players, funding and opportunities to collaborate and lead to a more circular approach in the seafood supply chain,” she notes.

The work, part of an EU-wide project called LOWINFOOD, will be shared with UK and EU policymakers, which could help further unlock opportunities for the seafood sector in Scotland, Germany, and elsewher in Europe and the world.

According to Scottish Government data, Scotland landed 429,000 metric tons of fish and shellfish in 2022, with a gross value of £617 million (US$807.7 million). The most was landed in northeast Scotland.