How a new plan is trying to make Great Lakes whitefish industry more sustainable — by using the whole fish
Initiative to find commercial uses for entire whitefish is based on successful Iceland model
A new cross-border initiative aims to increase the commercial value of a popular Great Lakes fish while ensuring none of it goes to waste once it's harvested.
The Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers recently announced the 100 per cent Whitefish initiative, which is looking to use the fish for purposes beyond just its fillet meat and potentially creating new product streams.
The project has a number of partners, including provincial and state departments of natural resources, First Nations groups in the United States and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
David Naftzger, executive director of the Chicago-based group, said the initiative is based on a similar method in Iceland to help its cod fishery recover after near collapse.
Naftzger said the approach has been to do more with less and find new uses for the fish.
He said the success in Iceland has been remarkable.
"Despite lower catch numbers, they've more than doubled the value of the fishery," he said. "Icelandic cod that used to generate $12 for its fillets, is now generating an amazing $3,500 in extended value added with all kinds of different products."
According to the Marine Conservation Society, an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom, Icelandic Atlantic cod is rated as a "good choice," its second highest ranking, due to the stability of cod stocks, a management plan and catch limits that are set in line with scientific advice.
Naftzger said those other uses for the cod include smoked and dried fish, roe from fish eggs and fish jerky. Others could be using the skin to make fish leather or bandages, as well as collagen in beverages and medical products.
The initiative is still in the evaluation process, he said. Recently, they partnered with the Iceland Ocean Cluster to ship Ontario whitefish for analysis and study to identify potential strategies for value added products.
Whitefish has a high protein content, along with high levels of collagen in the skin and scales, Naftzger added.
"A lot of indicators that would suggest the whitefish would be a very good candidate for making different kinds of products beyond just food," he said. "Even within the food realm, there's a lot more we could be doing beyond just fillets."
Naftzger said the Great Lakes whitefish industry operates very much like it did 50 to 100 years ago. Focusing on products beyond just the fillet meat could generate new revenue, he added.
"Right now, we're leaving that raw material and realizing only a very small return or none at all," he said. "If instead we're able to use those raw materials and process them, it opens up a lot of opportunities for value creation, product development, marketing, financing. We can really grow the fish-based economy in different ways."
