Great Lakes orgs team up with Iceland group and others to change how we use whitefish

Whitefish that is farmed from the Great Lakes is both declining in population and not living up to its full potential. A new initiative led by the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers is trying to radically change that.

Currently, whitefish filets are used as food for humans – think fish and chips, pâté and other popular dishes – and some of the rest of it is used as animal feedstock. With the “100% Whitefish” initiative, the goal is to use all of the fish, not only for a greater variety of culinary dishes, but for clothing, cosmetics, nutritional supplements and beverages.

Because of new testing and a modern look at sustainability, this could cause the value of each commercially caught fish to go from $12 to $3,500, say those involved.

“Today’s event is really unique and a result of some creative thinking, bringing it to a very traditional and old time industry: fish,” said David Naftzger, executive director of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. He and other partners of the 100% Whitefish plan spoke at a press conference Thursday morning at Detroit restaurant Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. “It’s an industry that’s been commercially viable here in the Great Lakes for decades, looking back further, for the tribes it’s been important for them both culturally and as a source of nutrition for centuries.”

Also at the press conference were members of the Iceland Ocean Cluster. Their efforts in their home country have resulted in the utilization rate of Icelandic cod to go from 40%, which is about where lake whitefish’s utilization rate is now, to 90%. They did this by finding ways to process fish skin and collagen for use in high-value byproducts.

Naftzger said they shipped some Great Lakes whitefish over to Iceland for biotechnical analysis.

"In just a few short weeks they've already created a collagen out of the fish scales and the skin. It's pretty remarkable," he said. "We've already made really good progress to be able to go from a whole fish to this in just a few weeks. It makes me very optimistic."

Dan Eichinger, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said the state's whitefish population has declined over the last couple of decades and in order to maintain and sustain a healthy commercial fishing industry in Michigan, something must be done.

“We wanted to find ways to make better use, or more complete or total use, of that lake whitefish,” said Eichinger. “The analogs between the experience that our colleagues in Iceland have learned over the last several decades have been extremely important and instructive for us for designing the project and the work that’s happening now to identify ways that we can do some of those kinds of things to ensure the sustainability and viability of lake whitefish.”

"We have huge opportunity to look at this with a little bit wider lens. The key here is to connect people," said Dr. Thor Sigfusson, founder and chairman of the Iceland Ocean Cluster, adding that the mindset toward this industry needs to change. "I would like to see the biotech industry from the Great Lakes involved in this new industry. It's a completely new industry if we bring in these new streams of knowledge and skills. I challenge you to take it further. We need to do more with less, and that's what we've been doing."

Supported by a grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, the project is also coordinated by the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, Motor City Seafood Company and groups in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ontario.

While speakers talked about how biotech can help make whitefish parts useful for high-end products, there is also a trend toward using more parts of the fish for cooking.

Many local chefs are already on board with a "nose-to-tail" philosophy that wastes as little of the cow or hog as possible. Chef Doug Hewitt of Chartreuse spoke about ways to use more than just the filet in cooking whitefish. For the press conference, he made whitefish curry soup using fish bones and the head, smoked whitefish bao buns, fried whitefish belly and a fish liver terrine garnished with crispy fish skin and roe. Hewitt said fish livers are highly under utilized and under appreciated.

"I think for a long time we've been using all these sort of parts of these animals, but I think fish often doesn't really get that utilization," he said. "We had a little saying at the restaurant, we call it 'trash to cash,' so we always try to take everything we'd normally throw away and think of how we can make money with it. But in all honesty, what's really important, especially in my line of work, is you take a big responsibility when you take something out of its natural habitat to show it respect. And the best way to do that is to utilize everything and showcase it in the best way possible."

Learn more about the 100% Whitefish project at gsgp.org.

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mbaetens@detroitnews.com

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