EU researchers find fish waste can add a lot of value to blue bioeconomy

In Belgium, researchers from the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) have determined that over 50 per cent of any fish caught or farmed is not consumed directly and that in the case of tuna, as much as 70 per cent of the animal ends up as waste or by-product.

According to scientists, there is more to gain from the aquatic biomass. As nutritional and pharmaceutical ingredients or cosmetic products, fish by-products and algae can generate high added value, and boost the blue bioeconomy.

The EUMOFA study, called Blue bioeconomy: situation report and perspectives, looks into the value and activities comprising the EU bioeconomy and offers an overview of the types of investments underpinning the sector, the size of demand and main players involved, future requirements, as well as public policies promoting the biotech sector.

In addition, the research notes that the amounts of biomass available from each type of resource varies widely. As a rule of thumb, more than 50 per cent of any finfish does not directly enter the human food chain and states that white fish such as cod may generate almost 60 per cent. For shellfish such as scallops, wastes are as high as 88 per cent of catches and harvests.