Can higher resource utilization be achieved in demersal fish supply chains? Status and challenges from Iceland and Norway

Abstract

Most of the harvested demersal fish from Norway and Iceland is from sustainable, but fully exploited fish stocks. Increasing the harvest is therefore not considered a feasible option to meet the future global demand of seafood. Simultaneously, there are significant amounts of under-utilized​ rest raw materials (RRM) during harvesting, such as heads, skins, viscera, as well as prevalent food loss and waste (FLW) in the demersal fish supply chains. In this work we reviewed literature and conducted interviews with industry representatives to identify drivers and causes for FLW, as well as information on data capturing and current regulations in Norway and Iceland governing demersal fisheries. Based on these findings we have created a conceptual model of the demersal fish supply chain based on material and information flows modelling technique (MIFMT). The findings of our review indicates that losses during harvest and retail are the highest while the processing stage has the least volume of losses. However, there is currently no national level data generated on a regular basis which is identified as an important knowledge gap in mapping amounts of FLW. Our findings show that regulatory interventions during catch and improved RRM traceability could enhance the utilization of RRM in demersal fish supply chains. Information sharing and collaboration between the fishing fleet, seafood processors and the marine ingredient sector would allow improved resource utilization through better management of supply and demand. Furthermore, development of technology for on-board processing and storage is identified as a potential area of improvement. Currently, Iceland has a higher rate of utilization in the demersal fish sector than Norway due to certain regulatory, economic, and institutional aspects.