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Thus, production standstills and lay-offs in the businesses on land often become a recurrent problem.
Stable supply - good quality
With a steady supply and production of cod - by feeding and slaughtering year-round - it is possible to better utilise the capacity of the production equipment. The risk for production standstills is also reduced and the working conditions will be more stable.
In addition, the industry does not have to invest in overcapacity in order to process everything that is delivered during the winter fishery, while production stops otherwise during the year.
"Slaughtering on land also provides better opportunities to produce high-quality fillets pre-rigor, when it is more difficult to work with the fish", says Senior Scientist Leif Akse at Fiskeriforskning.
When the industry can slaughter the fish itself, it can also avoid injuries to the fish that are caused by the fishing gear that is used on the boats.
The price is decisive
The scientists now want to follow up individual companies in order to draw clear conclusions about the profitability of using live fish. The regulations require that fish that are caught and fed must be killed at a slaughterhouse in the same way as farmed fish.
"The industry needs to know in advance that it will earn back the investments it has to make to build cages and slaughterhouses", says Akse in closing.
These results are a part of a larger report on catch-based aquaculture. The report was prepared on assignment for the Wild Fish Forum in the Norwegian Fishermen's Association, and the work is financed by the Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund.
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