THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SINTEF - read more
Why are we so squeamish about eating hagfish?
Every year, around 3,000 tonnes of fish that could have become food are discarded in Norway.
When fishers are out working, they are typically targeting a specific type of fish.
But other species often end up in their nets or trawls as well.
This is known as bycatch, meaning seafood the fishers do not get paid for. Although it is illegal to throw bycatch back into the sea, it still happens.
“Fishers often find themselves caught between the need to operate sustainably and the desire for economic gain. Many fishing vessels have limited space on board, as well as limited resources to handle bycatch in the best possible way,” says Line Skontorp Meidell.
She is a researcher at SINTEF Ocean. She has participated in research project Bycatch, which has investigated how bycatch can be utilised more sustainably.
Also a matter of food security
In a world that is more unstable than it has been for a long time, food security and self-sufficiency are high on the agenda.
If we manage to make use of bycatch, it could provide around eight million meals every year. That is about 1.4 meals per inhabitant in Norway.
Researchers are currently working to increase children’s understanding of bycatch through the Luring dissemination project. To this end, they participated in an Ocean Day, hosted by the Trondheim Science Centre.
Many adults and children were surprised by how much of the catch is discarded.
They learned the figure while peering into boxes containing bycatch that one of the city’s local fishers provided.
On display were rabbit fish, spiny dogfish, and long rough dab, to name a few. All three species are considered quite tasty by many.
Fish looks appetising as fillets
While most people agreed that we shouldn’t be discarding so much fish, they hesitated when asked if they would personally eat the types of fish they were looking at.
What many people don’t realise is that fish fillets from most types of fish look quite similar.
“When we showed them pictures of fillets from long rough dab and hagfish, several people changed their minds and said they would actually be willing to eat those specific species,” says Meidell.
Nine-year-old Kaja Vilhelmsen was attending Ocean Day with her family. She was stroking a long spiny dogfish that she thought looked cool. But only when she saw the fillets did she say that she would dare eat it.
“I don’t really feel like eating the fish when I see it just lying there, but if it’s part of dinner, that’s fine. Well, as long as there’s something else to go with it,” says Kaja.
This isn’t just about what the fishers themselves can do. Consumers also need to be more adventurous at the fish counter, the researcher believes.
“If we start eating bycatch, more of what’s currently thrown overboard could be put to good use. And the residual raw materials from these same fish could also be utilised for animal feed, cosmetics, and nutritional products,” says Meidell.
A clever and tasty dinosaur
One type of bycatch that fishers are less fond of is the hagfish. It resembles an ordinary eel, but it is actually one of the oldest types of fish on Earth.
Hagfish have lived in the oceans since long before the dinosaurs.
They produce slime to protect themselves from other fish and can turn the equivalent of 20 milk cartons of water into slime in just a few seconds.
Is your mouth watering yet? Perhaps not, but the hagfish got a high score when researchers sampled the fish in fillet form earlier this year.
In the Bycatch research project, SINTEF researchers investigated how hagfish could be used as a food resource.
16 participants were served the Asian-inspired dish and asked to evaluate its taste, texture, smell, and overall appeal.
The results showed a surprisingly positive response.
The hagfish had very little smell
Hagfish received an average score of 4 out of 5 points for the overall experience. Participants described the fish as neutral in both taste and smell, and felt it worked well as an ingredient in a dish.
The researchers also noted that the hagfish differed from other edible fish in that it produced very little odour during preparation.
They described the texture as unusual and quite chewy.
Perhaps unfamiliar species like hagfish require a fresh approach in the kitchen to become an attractive option for the Norwegian dinner table.
The fillet accounts for about 45 per cent of the hagfish’s total weight. The remaining 55 per cent consists of skin, internal organs, and the head. These parts can be used for other purposes.
The researchers discovered that hagfish skin is well-suited for collagen extraction. Collagen is a valuable ingredient used in everything from cosmetics to medical products.
“Even the slime contains proteins that might have interesting applications, but we’ll need to do more research on that,” says Meidell.
Source:
SINTEF website about the research area New Biomarine Resources
More content from SINTEF:
-
These employees enjoy their work, but worry about health and safety
-
Researchers introduce crowd forecasting at Pulpit Rock to help manage visitor numbers
-
Conflict between pedestrians and cyclists: The effect of a new type of sign surprises researchers
-
How water pollution can be detected faster
-
From seed to packaging: A robot can now grow food all year round
-
New sensor could be a game-changer for the hydrogen economy
