CATCH - Market-oriented and sustainable value chains for cod products based on live storage

CATCH is a visionary project where the objective is to catch the maximal sustainable value of wild Atlantic cod based on live storage. By keeping cod alive after capture, the long-standing and substantial challenges associated with variations in supply volumes and quality can be overcome. This opens up completely new possibilities for market-oriented and sustainable value chains for wild cod where consumers are provided with premium value and satisfaction and grocery retailers with long shelf-life, very high and uniform product quality and timely delivery. When cod is slaughtered on site, all by-products are retained and of premium quality which contributes to optimal resource utilization. Moreover, when cod is stored live in the peak season (January-March), the supply of Norwegian cod is reduced in a period with low prices and margins. The project has focused on the whole value chain from catch to consumer with a focus on fresh cod fillets. It has resulted in a range of results of substantial relevance to the seafood industry. Some key findings: Cod which do not eat while stored alive will get a higher water content in its flesh and lower protein content. And they lose weight. This contributes to poor quality with a fish that looks skinny and with soft flesh. Thus, cod should be fed during live-storage. Thus, Catch has contributed to a project developing a dry feed for cod, with very promising results. The swim bladder will burst while the cod is being pulled up from the bottom. The swim bladder heals quickly during live storage, but some fish will get red muscle tissue, which may stay there for a long time. Live storage makes pre-rigor fileting feasible. This has the advantage of longer shelf-live implying reduced waste. It also leads to reduced filet gaping and thus better quality. Pre-rigor fileting also has the negative effect that filets shrink and lose weight in the tail section of the filet. By use of advanced DNA sequencing technology bacteria on fillets from live stored cod is detected. Different strains of bacteria from industry filleted cod (from lived storage) are inhibited differently by different packaging conditions (controlled studies). The microbiota on industrial processed fillets did also vary as effect of packaging technologies/concepts (thawed/fresh). Photobacterium can result in reduced quality and can grow on vacuum packaged and modified atmosphere packaged fillets. Still, the packaging gas CO2, and high levels of O2, can inhibit these bacteria, and freezing after packaging can even better inhibit the growth. Shewanella and Pseudomonas that also are spoilage bacteria, can growth both with Vacuum packaging and after thawing, but are inhibited by CO2. Results from studies of ecolabels (such as the MSC label and line-caught labelling) shows that these labels obtain substantial price premiums at the retail level of the value chain. In addition, they contribute to product longevity compared to very similar products without these ecolabels. This implies reduced costs. Among consumers in Norway there is a segment of about 35% of households that are willing to pay a premium of at least 10% for super fresh cod. Super fresh cod is cod that can be sold within two days after slaughtering. Design and color of packaging is found to influence consumers perception of products. Black packaging provides a more exclusive perception. The quota bonus has been very effective in increasing live-storage of cod and as such provided a good basis for valuable learning regarding the catch operation and short-term storage of cod (up to 12 weeks). A model has been developed that shows the economic viability of the concept for fishers. It shows that increased earnings barely weigh up for the increased costs associated with live capture and storage of cod. Live storage of cod has two key sources of competitive advantage, that is, control over quality and that fish can be slaughtered and processed on demand. These sources of advantage are not fully exploited since much of the live-stored cod is sold in the spot market during and just after the main season. While the project has focused on fresh/chilled fillets, the industry has mainly sold the fish as fresh whole cod (as Skrei or shiny cod). However, the knowledge that has been acquired during the project should be highly valuable for other sectors of the seafood industry focusing on high quality, as well as live-storage and farming of cod in the future.

Prosjektet har fremskaffet resultater og kunnskap med stort potensiale til å hjelpe næringen i å lykkes med å utvikle konkurransedyktige verdikjeder basert på levendelagret torsk. Kunnskapen som har fremkommet i løpet av prosjektperioden antas også å ha betydelig anvendelsespotensiale for andre deler av sjømatnæringen. I prosjektperioden har tre forskere ved Nofima avlagt doktorgrad. I tillegg har involverte forskere økt sin faglige kompetanse generelt og sin kompetanse knyttet til levendelagring av torsk spesielt. Det antas at bedrifter og organisasjoner som har deltatt i Catch har økt sin kompetanse på en rekke områder. Catch har også hatt en antatt viktig rådgivende rolle for myndighetene i utforming av regelverk. Et sterkt fokus på tverrfaglig samarbeid og læring har gitt forskerne økt forståelse av tverrfaglighet. Det internasjonale forskningssamarbeidet i Catch har vært positivt og en internasjonal forsker er nå ansatt ved Nofima i bistilling.

CATCH is an interdisciplinary research project based on a sustainable and bio-economic perspective where the objective is to catch the maximum sustainable value of wild Atlantic cod based on live storage along value chains for cod from catch to the consum er. By keeping cod alive after capture, the long-standing and substantial challenges associated with variations in supply volumes and quality can be overcome. Sustainable value chains for wild cod where consumers are provided with premium value and satisf action and grocery retailers with long shelf-life, very high and uniform product quality and timely delivery can be designed. In this way, live storage of cod can enhance the value of the Norwegian cod stock at the same time as it leads to a more sustaina ble use of this important natural resource. Past research as well as past business initiatives has been patchy and mainly focused on isolated technological bottlenecks related to capture and handling of the fish. Thus, to exploit the substantial advantag es of this market-oriented concept CATCH proposes a substantial and interdisciplinary research approach where natural and social sciences are closely integrated. CATCH is inspired by actual value chains (cases) with highly motivated and committed industry partners and consists of 9 work packages covering relevant research areas throughout the value chain and includes collaboration with highly regarded international research partners. With its interdisciplinary focus on the whole value chain, CATCH is an ideal project for Nofima. It includes 2 PhDs, which will contribute to strengthen Nofimas competence related to live storage of cod and the scientific areas marketing and packaging. Much of the knowledge and competence generated through the project will a lso be valuable for other sectors of the seafood industry. The total budget is 29 MNOK which is sought from the Research Council of Norway. In addition, the industry partners will invest substantially in the Project