The CEO of Seafood Scotland has today [12 March] called on industry partners to back the creation of an innovative Scottish ‘ocean cluster’, which could unlock three times more value from Scotland’s seafood industry.
Donna Fordyce officially announced the establishment of the group at the prestigious Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) Conference – a focal event for the industrial biotechnology community in Scotland – calling on organisations across Scotland’s seafood industry to get behind the initiative as it seeks to secure funding.
Seafood Scotland has partnered with IBioIC, Zero Waste Scotland, Opportunity North East and Aberdeenshire Council, to drive producers, processors, investors, researchers, retailers, government and biotech companies to work collectively to unlock the full potential of seafood ‘side stream’ products, over and above the actual fish protein.
The initiative is inspired by the pioneering and globally successful Iceland Ocean Cluster, which has successfully driven value-creation from under-utilised marine resources. In just one decade, Iceland has witnessed the production of its first biotech ‘unicorn’, which utilises fish side streams.
Subject to funding, the would-be cluster’s first area of focus will be to increase the value of fish side streams harnessing biotech expertise to create, for example, added value nutritional supplements.
According to a recent report by Zero Waste Scotland*, the current market value of the 166,000 tonnes of fish ‘waste’ in Scotland is approximately £21.58million. The Scottish cluster steering group estimates it could potentially treble its market value in the space of three years.
Commenting at the IBioIC Conference, Donna Fordyce, CEO of Seafood Scotland, said: “Scotland is one of Europe’s largest seafood producers, and also boasts an innovative and fast-growing biotechnology sector. This gives us an exciting advantage.
“Bringing biotech expertise together with the innovators in the seafood industry – in the same way as the Iceland Ocean Cluster has done – has the potential to triple the value of Scotland’s seafood side streams, by extracting even more value from the country’s fish and shellfish. By working together across the industry, we can improve food security, actively encourage innovation and high value job creation, champion environmental sustainability and attract funding and investment to foster economic development in Scotland.
“In short, it could be game-changing for the sector, and the organisations at its heart. That’s why we’re calling on the backing of stakeholders across the industry – so we can secure the funding to progress with a Scottish ocean cluster that can realise and accelerate these ambitions, bring economic prosperity to our coastal rural fishing communities, and get ahead of any potential future challenges facing the industry.”
At the conference, Donna joined IBioIC’s Senior Impact Manager, Kim Cameron; Director of the Global Seafood Alliance and Ambassador for the Iceland Ocean Cluster, Melanie Siggs; and Director of Lornal Consultancy, Alastair Kennedy, on a panel discussing clusters as critical drivers of regional success.
Kim Cameron of IBioIC, added: “Scotland’s world-class biotech sector is key to unlocking the full potential of the country’s seafood industry. The Iceland Ocean Cluster has demonstrated how a zero-waste model can drive both economic and environmental sustainability, maximising value from every part of the seafood supply chain. By harnessing Scotland’s cutting-edge biotech expertise, we can emulate this approach to create exceptional value, turning underutilised resources into high-value products. Establishing a Scottish Ocean Cluster would be a pivotal step in realising this vision, driving innovation, sustainability, and economic growth across Scotland’s seafood sector and beyond.”
Alexandra Leeper, CEO of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, has voiced her support for a Scottish Ocean Cluster. She said: “Iceland Ocean Cluster is thrilled to see steps being taken to launch a Scottish ocean cluster, which we are keen to welcome as part of our global sister cluster network. Their leadership in working to bring ‘100% Fish’ to life in a country with such a rich seafood heritage is a great example of doing more with less and we look forward to working together.”
