MARINE BY-PRODUCTS - A HUGE UNEXPLOITED POTENTIAL FOR VALUE ADDING!

Marine by-products have an unexploited value adding potential in the size of 0.5-1 bill. EURO.

By-products from Norwegian fisheries, included fish farming consist of viscera (liver, roe, stomachs, etc.), heads, backbones, cuts and rejected fish from processing. The by-products are generated when the fish is gutted, headed and further processed - either on-board in fishing vessels or in processing plants on shore. The Norwegian fisheries produce more than 615.000 tons of by-products annually (2004), which is more than 20 % of all the fish caught and farmed in Norway. Today most of the by-products are used as raw materials for feed production; such as fish meal, silage and feed for fur animals. About 180.000 tons are still dumped into the sea, mainly from the fishing fleet. The total value adding represents 1 bill. NOK (2003). If we succeed to utilize more of the by-products as food for humans and as ingredients in foodstuff, health foods, nutraceuticals, pharmacy, cosmetics etc., the value adding may increase by 5 folds.

FACTS ABOUT RUBIN

RUBIN is a foundation established in Norway in 1992, and works for increased and more profitable utilization of by-products from the fisheries and fish farming in Norway.

Several ministries, the Norwegian Research Council and the Norwegian fisheries and industry founded RUBIN in 1992. Since 1998 the fisheries and industry (included fish farming), represented by the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association (NF) and the Norwegian Seafood Association (FHL) are the "owners" of the foundation.

RUBIN is financed partly by the Ministry of Fisheries and Norwegian Fisheries-and Aquaculture Research Fund (FHF). Members of RUBIN´s board are 2 representatives from NF and 2 representatives from FHL.

OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES

Objectives

RUBINs objectives are to contribute to:

• A total utilization of fish
• Value adding of marine by-products

Vision

RUBINs vision is within 5-10 years to increase the value adding of the marine by-products to more than 5 bill. NOK.

A total utilization of the fish will be in accordance with international trends in development of sustainable fisheries.

Strategy

To be able to achieve the necessary results RUBIN has developed a strategy implying:

• Initiating and accomplishing development projects
• Co-ordination of targeted achievements in the by-product sector, within and across the fisheries, industry, research institutions, public authorities and financial institutions.
• Being a national competence centre.

RUBINs role as a co-ordinator of a national network in the by-product sector is important in order to:

• avoid suboptimalisation and fragmentation
• be a unifying driving force
• keep an overview of the development
• create changes

RUBINs work is characterized by:

• Long-term perspective: I.e. development of a competence based Norwegian bio marine ingredient industry. (Requires industrial structural changes, market promotion, documentation/clinical testing, etc.).
• Practical approach: Eliminate bottle necks; finding practical solutions for the industry.
• Including the entire value chain: Projects and solutions for all parts of the value chain (fishing boats, seafood industry, ingredient industry, markets). Co-operation with the public authorities and R&D institutes.

ORGANISATION AND ADMINISTRATION

The administration is located in Trondheim.
General manager: Sigrun Bekkevold
Address: Pirsenteret, N-7462 Trondheim
Phone: +47 73 54 56 30
Fax: +47 73 51 70 84
E-mail: rubin@rubin.no
Internet: www.rubin.no

Members of the board are 2 representatives from the Norwegian Fishermen Association (NF) and 2 representatives from the Norwegian Seafood Association (FHL).

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

The table gives an overview of prioritised project activities in a long term perspective.