The Council of Great Lakes Governors has started a project called “100% Whitefish,” which refers to the opportunities made possible by expanding the use of whitefish byproducts to improve the use of whitefish caught in the Great Lakes in collaboration with the Icelandic Ocean Cluster.
The Icelandic Ocean Cluster and the Council of Great Lakes Governors have been working closely together for about three years to examine how lake whitefish and invasive carp can be used more effectively in the Great Lakes to increase their value and utilisation. It has been deemed urgent to increase fishing from this stock because the lake perch in the Great Lakes has been an invasive species that has threatened other habitats in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes contain a popular fish species called whitefish, and there is interest in better utilising its byproducts.
The technical staff from Marel and Curio as well as the experts from Matís have collaborated closely on this project under the direction of the Icelandic Marine Cluster. It can be predicted that the number of Icelandic experts participating in this type of cluster-led international consulting will increase over the upcoming seasons.
In the presence of representatives from the states and the Iceland Ocean Cluster, the “100% Whitefish project” will be formally introduced on September 29th in Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. “We see great opportunities for Icelanders to use Icelandic ingenuity and experience to improve the utilisation of marine products and, at the same time, contribute to less waste and reduce the carbon footprint in food production globally,” says Dr. Thor Sigfusson, founder of the Iceland Ocean Cluster. “The number of projects of the Iceland Ocean Cluster and its partners of this type has increased outside of Iceland.”
