Seafood Scotland calls for industry ‘cluster’ to maximise value from waste

Seafood Scotland CEO Donna Fordyce officially announced the establishment of the group at the prestigious Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) Conference – a focal event for the industrial biotechnology community in Scotland - calling on organisations across Scotland’s seafood industry to get behind the initiative as it seeks to secure funding.

 

Seafood Scotland has partnered with IBioIC, Zero Waste Scotland, Opportunity North East and Aberdeenshire Council, to drive producers, processors, investors, researchers, retailers, government and biotech companies to work collectively to unlock the full potential of seafood “side stream” products, over and above the actual fish protein.

 

The initiative is inspired by the pioneering and globally successful Iceland Ocean Cluster, which has successfully driven value-creation from under-utilised marine resources, particularly cod. In just one decade, Iceland has witnessed the production of its first biotech “unicorn”, which utilises fish side streams.

 

Subject to funding, the would-be cluster’s first area of focus will be to increase the value of fish side streams harnessing biotech expertise to create, for example, added value nutritional supplements.

 

According to a recent report by public body Zero Waste Scotland, Characterising Fish Processing By-products, the current market value of the 166,000 tonnes of fish “waste” from processing in Scotland is approximately £21.58m. The Scottish cluster steering group estimates it could potentially treble its market value in the space of three years, by being diverted to more profitable uses than low value feed or fertiliser.

 

Commenting at the IBioIC Conference, Donna Fordyce, CEO of Seafood Scotland, said: “Scotland is one of Europe’s largest seafood producers, and also boasts an innovative and fast-growing biotechnology sector. This gives us an exciting advantage.  

 

“Bringing biotech expertise together with the innovators in the seafood industry - in the same way as the Iceland Ocean Cluster has done - has the potential to triple the value of Scotland’s seafood side streams, by extracting even more value from the country’s fish and shellfish. By working together across the industry, we can improve food security, actively encourage innovation and high value job creation, champion environmental sustainability and attract funding and investment to foster economic development in Scotland.

 

“In short, it could be game-changing for the sector, and the organisations at its heart. That’s why we’re calling on the backing of stakeholders across the industry - so we can secure the funding to progress with a Scottish ocean cluster that can realise and accelerate these ambitions, bring economic prosperity to our coastal rural fishing communities, and get ahead of any potential future challenges facing the industry.”