DENMARK
All the species in the catch should be exploited Finding markets for shore crabs and whelks completes his training Mr Buch hopes to employ another. Until a couple of years ago the fishery had taken a back seat partly due to Mr Buch’s various other commitments, but also because of the fishery itself. Cormorants were becoming a menace and prices of eel had fallen and had failed to recover. Many of the fishers who had been targeting eel in the area stopped. But Mr Buch’s apprentice wanted to revive the fishery and the number of pound nets employed was increased. Mr Buch invested in the restructuring of one of his vessels to facilitate the fish sorting process. Now the nets can be emptied into a sorting box from where the valuable
Allan Buch, the chairman of Bælternes Fiskeriforening, is also a fisherman. In 1985, he took over a coastal fishery in Middelfart, which at that point had existed for over 100 years, buying it from the owner who was the third or fourth generation to have fished. It is a typical coastal fishery with pound nets for eel, herring, mackerel, garfish, lumpfish, flatfish, and cod, and a few fyke nets for eel and shrimp. The fishing is divided by seasons; herring is targeted from mid March to mid May, eel from August to November, and a little flatfish and cod in winter. Today much of the day to day fishing activity is left to his current apprentice, and when he
fish are removed, and the rest returned to the sea alive. In the past, the fish would be sold to a trader, but Mr Buch prefers to deal with the final consumer directly as it gives him the best possible price for his catch. On an experimental basis, therefore, he has been sending some 400 potential customers in the area a text message when the catch is due to be landed. Interest in the fresh fish has been so great that Mr Buch is convinced that selling it directly is a feasible business. It is not just the local residents, who form a potential market. In summer Middelfart attracts thousands of guest sailors each year,
and tourists come to play at the local golf course, and many of these people too may be interested in buying fresh fish. He is now investing in a coldstore and a room where the fish can be gutted and filleted to give a value-added product. Adding value and finding uses for new species are some of the ways fishers can improve the returns from fishing. One species Mr Buch is interested in is the shore crab. There is a bycatch of shore crabs in the pound nets, which has been increasing due to increase in population numbers. There is potential for using the crabs as bait in common whelk fishery, as well as for selling directly to the consumer.
Nordisk Tang is creating a range of products using marine macroalgae
Making seaweed trendy While algae production and consumption is well established in Asia, in Europe it is less well known. However, as consumers focus increasingly on health and information about the benefits of algae become more widespread, this may be changing.
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or centuries seaweed has been consumed in parts of Asia, where it is known for its health benefits. Marine algae are a rich source of minerals, trace elements, healthy fats, and even proteins, and are highly appreciated in Japan, China, and Korea, among other east Asian countries. in Europe, however, in the past algae have been used mainly as cattle fodder, as a fertilizer, or dried as a fuel.
Seaweed has huge potential
removed from where they originated. Interest in seaweed is growing for a variety of reasons and researchers are investigating local waters to identify and analyse the species of marine algae that grow within them. In Denmark, there are over three hundred species of algae broadly categorised into red, green, and brown algae and research is ongoing to find out how they can profitably be produced and used, as a source of bioactive ingredients, fuel, feed for piglets and cattle, and, of course, for human consumption.
As the world shrinks, food habits are establishing themselves far
Nordisk Tang is a Danish company based in Grenaa in Jutland
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that is manufacturing a variety of products based on tang, the Danish word for seaweed. Kristian Ottesen, the director, recalls how, from the merger of two smaller firms, the company was formed in 2015 to develop an industry within gourmet products using seaweed. Although seaweed has been used for many years in Denmark, it has mainly been for the production of carrageenan, a gelling and stabilising agent for foods. Unlike carrageenan, however, seaweed in Nordisk Tang products is not an obscure name featuring at the end of a long list of ingredients, but the unique selling point of the item. Seaweed is highly nutritious
with a number of natural benefits, and can be produced sustainably all around the country, says Mr Ottesen. As a smallish country with lots of islands no point in Denmark is more than 50 km from the sea, so a local supply of fresh seaweed should not pose a challenge. At the company the idea behind creating seaweed based products was not only to capitalise on the health aspects but also to exploit some of the other properties of seaweed, including mouth feel, flavour, salt reduction, and preservative. The line of products using seaweed started with pestos, salts, and spices, and today includes also flours, mustards, and oil.