New ideas and processes for 100% Fish!

Clara Jegousse, Research Project Manager, Icelandic Ocean Cluster opened up the session with her presentation on ‘100% Fish Strategy – unlocking the full value of precious aquatic resources for a more sustainable future. ‘  

Sharing examples from the Great Lakes of the US to Lake Hake in Namibia, she exemplified the importance of streamlined processes as you start a 100% Fish journey.  

Innovation in developing new uses from fish side-streams is global, she noted, from mackerel, pollock and squid in South Korea to tuna in the Pacific Islands Cluster.  

Michaela, Managing Director & Founding Partner of Hailia Nordic Oy provided insight into their journey to create ‘human food with an excellent fillet-like structure’ using ‘everything from the head to tail’ of the fish.  

She highlighted the importance of ‘upcycling underutilised fish species or underutilised fish side streams’.

Now a top 30 circular solution in the world, and a disruptive technological innovation for sustainable industrial growth, Hailia is able to make up to 10x valorisation of these fish side-streams.  

Hailia’s products are ‘enabling the blue food revolution’ and a ‘real win for the fish processor’.  

Rounding off the first session of the day, Hildur Inga Sveinsdottir, Project Manager at Matis presented on ‘looking up from the beaker’. Her message was the importance of collaboration between academia and industry.  

‘Testing adjustments to existing processes can often be made accessible,’ she explained, ‘testing new raw materials or new types of thinking is often not’. She continued to cover the Matis AccelWater project – looking to optimise freshwater use and minimise waste in the food and business industry.  

Alexandra followed this up, noting that innovation in this space comes from the collaboration between industry and academia, ‘through systems, through knowledge, through technology’.