The Icelandic Fisheries Laboratories is an independent state organisation, operating on behalf of industry under the Ministry of Fisheries. For 20 years it has worked to improve the humble containers which carry fish all over the word. Staff member Sigurjón Arason, a civil engineer with an MSc at Denmark''s Technical University explains why he believes in the merits of plastic tubs over boxes as a proven means of increasing catch values. He has been at the job for nearly 20 years. He was interviewed by Icelandic container manufacturer Saeplast.
They may not enjoy the high-tech appeal of fish-finding gear, catch control systems or the other array of electronic aids that now come as standard aboard many fishing vessels, but insulated plastic tubs have served as the catalyst for an on-going revolution in catch storage and transportation.
Constructed from high-grade polyethylene or polyurethane and manufactured in sizes designed to suit virtually any species or application, plastic tubs have played a major role in changing forever the way that catches are handled and processed. That is true whether for work onboard or ashore, when replacing old-fashioned fish boxes.
Iceland has not only designed new tub products and helped manufacturers like Seaplast move onto the world market. It has also put them to work across its fleet since the early 1980s.
"As everyone in the industry is now only too aware, fish are a limited resource, and the need to extract the maximum value from every catch is probably greater today than at any time in the past," he explains. "The use of tubs, as opposed to boxes in the storage and transportation of both fresh and salted fish, is a vital link in the quality and value chain."
In the battle of tub versus box, size really does matter. Studies over the years showed that fish boxes caused bruising and damage and wastage of what are now considered valuable pieces, such as heads, so the modern plastic tubs were made longer and shallower so fish were not crushed.
Cost saving & new products
Quota cuts led to new studies to get more value out of less catch and the tub sizes changed again to cope.
"Given that a 460-litre tub accommodates eight times as much fish as a box, catches require much less manual handling, further reducing the risk of damage.
"What is more, the increased storage capacity offered by tubs leads to significant savings in both time and labour. These begin with icing catches at sea and continue through landing, a process which becomes up to five times quicker and far less labour-intensive than when using boxes and on-board grading is simplified so improving processing through the chain.
"Creating value-added products requires first-class raw material, and tubs are a vital link in achieving this and... [helping] transforming what were once considered by-products into valuable primary product, he says, and heads, skin, oil, backbones, roe, liver and cut-offs are worth 10 per cent of output now.
"Tub insulation also cuts ice costs and water in each fish. Further, "simply implanting a [radio]chip into each tub allows buyers, processors and distributors to monitor fish from point of catch to point of sale, and can also enable skippers to identify those fishing grounds which have proved most productive" explains Arason.
"No matter how you look at it, tubs are the better alternative both on-board and ashore," he says simply.
"Properly used, they result in increased quality through reduced damage to valuable product, greater efficiency, lower labour costs, significantly improved catch utilisation and create the scope for new product development, so paving the way to potentially higher profits," he concludes.
