A coalition of Great Lakes leaders has launched a campaign to more fully use whitefish commercially caught in the Great Lakes, which could dramatically increase its value, officials said.
The 100% Whitefish Initiative was launched last week by the Chicago-based Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers along with several partners.
Diagrams for the campaign show that whitefish is currently used for food products and “processed protein,” but could be used in a variety of other ways. That includes nutritional supplements, fish leather, medical products, beverages, nutraceuticals like liver oil, high-quality seafood, smoked and dried fish, and edible fish eggs.
The 100% Whitefish Initiative aims to show that all of Great Lakes whitefish can be used in a variety of ways to dramatically increase its commercial value.Provided by Clark Communications
“The 100% whitefish initiative can help bring new products, jobs and revenue opportunities to our local communities,” DNR Director Dan Eichinger said in a statement. “It also represents a more sustainable use of one of Michigan’s iconic natural resources - lake whitefish.
Using whitefish more fully will grow Michigan’s “blue economy” while maximizing profits and respecting the management, health and recreational needs of the fishery, he said.
The campaign is fashioned after a similar initiative in Iceland to use 100% of Icelandic cod. Prior to the initiative, the cod was used almost exclusively for filets consumed by humans, which accounts for about 40% of the fish. Now, more than 90% of the fish is used, including skin and collagen, increasing its value from $12 to $3,500 per fish.
“100% Whitefish” aims to create a similar increase in value.
“Iceland has proven the 100% fish concept and we are now creating similar successes around the world,” Thor Sigfusson, founder and chairman of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, said in a statement. “Initial testing on lake whitefish has shown many different high-value products that could be made from materials that are today either thrown away or processed for very low value. Great Lakes whitefish can be our next success story.”
The 100% idea is being applied first to whitefish but could also be used to create high value and benefits from lake trout, walleye, yellow perch and other species in the Great Lakes region, said David Naftzger, executive director for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, said in a statement.
Organizations involved in 100% Whitefish include Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers; Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; Great Lakes Fishery Commission; Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission; Iceland Ocean Cluster; Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; Matis; Michigan Department of Natural Resources; Michigan Sea Grant; Motor City Seafood Company; Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association; Ontario Ministry of Northern Development; Mines, Natural Resources & Forestry; and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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