Faroese pelagic fishing and processing company Varðin Pelagic began its activities in Tvøroyri, on the island of Suðuroy, in 2012 with a high-tech pelagic processing plant, and now plans to expand into protein production with a plant for fishmeal, fish oil and surimi.
According to a statement by the company, its aim is to process as much as possible of the landings it receives of herring, mackerel, capelin and blue whiting. The intention is that instead of part of the raw material the current factory receives being shipped elsewhere for fishmeal and fish oil production, it’s time to bring everything together in one place.
Blue whiting in particular is a species used almost entirely for production of fishmeal and fish oil, and a processing facility in Tvøroyri would provide an opportunity to make better use of landings by the company’s own fleet, as well as boosting employment in the region.
In the past, the company explored options for producing high-value surimi from blue whiting, but that came to an end when the factory in Tvøroyri burned down in 2017.
Looking to the future, Varðin Pelagic has placed an application for permission from the local authority to build a new fishmeal and fish oil production plant in Tvøroyri, with a facility for producing surimi.
