Commercialisation of new species
We will work to make responsible use of marine resources
In the future, we must make better use of marine resources, so that we as a company can develop food products for an ever-increasing global population.
One opportunity is that more species are developed commercially and made available to consumers as food products. This will benefit both our business and the society, since new products would also create more local employment.
A small business development department in Greenland, staffed with a marine biologist and laboratory personnel, is focused on trial fisheries and the development of such species as whelk, sea urchin, sea cucumber and seaweed. Fishing, cultivation and sampling are lengthy processes that, from season to season, give us more knowledge and enable us to develop new marine resources for the market.
Risks and opportunities
Dependence on fishing for wild species considered to be a renewable, but limited resource may be subject to uncertainty. The sea and thereby stocks are vulnerable to environmental impacts and possible overfishing.
At Royal Greenland we therefore work to promote sustainable fishing of existing species, and to commercialise new species and fisheries. In recent years we have worked with production trials and upscaling of seaweed cultivation, as a consumer product and also for CO2 capture.
Actions and results 2022
- Scaling-up of seaweed plant using an optimised production method outside Maniitsoq in Greenland during a year characterised by ice, algae deposits on ropes and unstable weather conditions for the setting out of seaweed plants.
Goals and achievement of the goals 2019-2022:
Goal:
Commercialisation of at least one new species.
Achievement of the goal:
Despite significant efforts to develop new species, it has not yet been possible to commercialise any of the new fishing tested, or the seaweed production.
For sea urchin and whelk, there are challenges in obtaining permits to use suitable tools for this task, as it is necessary to scrape the seabed to catch the benthic species that live very close to the seabed, and do not move. This is a matter to be resolved in cooperation with Greenland's Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, as fishing can be limited to selected locations.
Ambitions for 2030
Commercialisation of at least three new species
