New paths for the fishing industry’s side streams
QUICK OVERVIEW:
USE OF SIDE STREAMS
- Large amounts of valuable material from fish and shellfish go to waste. The BlueRev project is working to find sustainable solutions.
- Through workshops and collaboration with Greenlandic companies and authorities, models for circular economy and self-sufficiency are developed.
- Collaboration between industry, researchers and local communities is crucial to creating a more sustainable and economically robust fishing industry in Greenland.
Large amounts of valuable side streams from fish and shellfish are currently wasted. Through the BlueRev project, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark has recently brought together fishing industry stakeholders in Greenland to develop solutions that strengthen self-sufficiency, environmental responsibility and local value creation.
The small Greenlandic settlement of Atammik with just under 200 inhabitants is located about two hours’ sailing north of Nuuk, directly on the cliffs in the magnificent Greenlandic landscape. It is a fantastically beautiful place to live, but there are also many practical challenges associated with creating livelihoods and jobs in the settlements – for example, everything from building materials to food must be transported to Atammik, and waste must be transported away with large waste collection ships that serve the smaller communities on the coast. Educational opportunities are in the larger cities like Nuuk, and as in many other parts of the world, young people move from coastal areas to the cities – and only a few return.
In connection with a BlueRev event in Nuuk, we recently visited Royal Greenland’s production facility in Atammik, which is located directly by the harbour. Here, local fishermen land cod, which is processed by two shifts, a morning and an evening shift each with nine employees, mostly women. Every 14 days, Royal Greenland’s own ships pick up the processed, frozen fish – about 30-40 pallets – which are shipped to Nuuk and from there out into the world.
Revitalizing coastal communities
In the BlueRev project, we are working to revitalize coastal areas in the regions of Sicily, Estonia, Greenland and Denmark, and to identify barriers to better utilization of side streams from fish and shellfish production.
– BlueRev is about helping smaller local communities in selected regions change course and develop a sustainable blue economy, where environmental protection and economic activities go hand in hand. The focus has been on developing or replicating new management and business models that enable this shift.
Senior Innovation Manager, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark
Workshops focusing on strengthening value creation in the fishing industry
Under the auspices of BlueRev, we have, in collaboration with Nalik Ventures, organized a physical workshop in Nuuk in both 2024 and 2025 with the aim of bringing together industry players for dialogue and collaboration on how to best utilize the valuable side streams from the fishing industry in Greenland. The goal is to strengthen the understanding of circular and sustainable value chains in the blue bioeconomy and promote the transfer of models from other European coastal regions to Greenland.
Nalik Ventures co-hosted both workshops successfully in Nuuk. Here, Chief Consultant Gorm Vold welcomed the participants.
– It has been a great pleasure for us to co-host the BlueRev workshop together with Food & Bio Cluster Denmark. The topic is very close to our hearts. It is not just about creating more value and reducing waste, but also about taking responsibility for the environment and supporting Greenland’s Self-Sustainability Strategy 2025-2030. It is an important step towards a more sustainable future – both locally and globally , says Gorm Vold, Chief Consultant at Nalik Ventures.
At both workshops in Nuuk, we have presented the results of the BlueRev project and collected input from the participants, who have worked on concrete ideas for how side streams from cod and shrimp can be used. The focus areas have included Greenland’s Self-Sustainability Strategy 2025-2030, the Sustainable Business Model Canvas, possible support initiatives from authorities and communication about sustainable products for small and medium-sized enterprises.
– At Royal Greenland, we see it as an obligation to utilize the resources that we are so privileged to fish out of the sea to the greatest extent possible. Therefore, it is extremely important that we find new ways to create economic sustainability through better resource utilization. Greenland is a large country, and we are therefore challenged in terms of logistics, consolidation of raw materials and, not least, stabilization of raw materials. We cannot do everything ourselves, and therefore it is important for us to participate in projects like BlueRev to gain knowledge and create strategic collaborations , says Kristian Ottesen, Director at Royal Greenland.
Since the first workshop in Nuuk in 2024, a lot has happened among Greenlandic companies and authorities. Several companies are now actively working on the development of side streams, and the Greenlandic Self-Government, Naalakkersuisut, has formulated a vision and strategy for a self-sufficient Greenland, which will strengthen the Greenlandic society and economy while ensuring better protection of the environment and nature. Naalakkersuisut wants to create the best framework conditions and encourages everyone in society to take an active part in this movement.
– Approximately 50% of the fish – eg head, skin, bones, liver and roe – often goes to waste during processing, which is not sustainable. Despite many years of dialogue on sustainable development, too little is done because the factories assess that the small quantities are not profitable. It is therefore positive that companies like Royal Greenland are open to cooperation on better resource utilization. We have high-quality raw materials that can be used for everything from oil and cold cuts to soup, stock and chips. I therefore hope that these workshops lead to very concrete initiatives , says Augusta Jerimiassen from the Department of Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability under the Government of Greenland.
Partnerships and shared responsibility
Both the workshop in Nuuk and the visit to Atammik show that solutions are found in collaboration – between companies, researchers, local communities and authorities. The Government of Greenland has called on everyone in society to take part in the transition towards a more sustainable and self-sufficient Greenland. The BlueRev project and the joint activities in June mark an important step in that direction.
