238
extremely toxic and polluting. Vegetable tanned fish leather is sustainable, durable
and surprisingly strong, even stronger than other kinds of leather. This is due to the
alignment of the fibres in the skin: in mammals, these run parallel to each other, but
in fish, they are in a cross-hatched pattern, making fish leather much stronger for the
same thickness.
15.3.2.5 Harnessing Renewable Energy
Iceland has a unique situation in an era when climate change is making it necessary
for countries around the world to implement sustainable energy solutions. Today,
almost 100% of the electricity consumed in Iceland comes from renewable energy.
The glaciers and rivers of the interior of the country are harnessed to generate 80%
of the country’s electricity needs through hydropower, while the geothermal fields
provide the remaining 20%. Iceland has also focused on sharing its knowledge and
technical expertise in geothermal development (Logadóttir 2015). The entire process of producing fish skin at Atlantic Leather relies on the power of nature and is
non-impactful on the environment – even in terms of electricity consumption – as
geothermal water is used to produce fish skin leather, and their electricity comes
from a nearby hydroelectric power station.
The use of geothermal energy for fish by-products is likely to increase in the
future. The interest in Iceland is focused on the use of geothermal energy in lowheat regions. It can be expected that the price of oil will increase more than the local
energy in the future, and therefore it is worth paying attention to the use of locally
available energy sources for the fishing industry (Bechtel 2003).
15.3.3 SDG14.9 Support Artisanal Fishermen
Sustainable Development Goal 14:9 is “Provide access for small-scale artisanal
fishermen to marine resources and markets”.
In recent history, fisheries and fish processing jobs have been in decline in
Iceland. Like many other countries, Iceland has been mindful not to overfish. With
stock sustainability and the ecological effects of fishing and management systems
as core concerns, Iceland has become even more competitive in the global marketplace by using fish by-products. Iceland has discovered one way of creating value
and jobs, especially in remote and rural areas where such opportunities are not taken
for granted (Sigfusson 2017a, b).
This approach has been beneficial to all levels of the supply chain, including fishermen in remote areas who have seen the prices of fish triple in recent years due to
increased interest in value-added issues. The sustainability of the Icelandic system
means that fishermen now rank amongst Iceland’s highest-paid workers. The Icelandic
model has proved reliable, and this model could be duplicated in seafood industries
around the world, creating new opportunities in coastal areas (Sigfusson 2017a, b).
E. Palomino
extremely toxic and polluting. Vegetable tanned fish leather is sustainable, durable
and surprisingly strong, even stronger than other kinds of leather. This is due to the
alignment of the fibres in the skin: in mammals, these run parallel to each other, but
in fish, they are in a cross-hatched pattern, making fish leather much stronger for the
same thickness.
15.3.2.5 Harnessing Renewable Energy
Iceland has a unique situation in an era when climate change is making it necessary
for countries around the world to implement sustainable energy solutions. Today,
almost 100% of the electricity consumed in Iceland comes from renewable energy.
The glaciers and rivers of the interior of the country are harnessed to generate 80%
of the country’s electricity needs through hydropower, while the geothermal fields
provide the remaining 20%. Iceland has also focused on sharing its knowledge and
technical expertise in geothermal development (Logadóttir 2015). The entire process of producing fish skin at Atlantic Leather relies on the power of nature and is
non-impactful on the environment – even in terms of electricity consumption – as
geothermal water is used to produce fish skin leather, and their electricity comes
from a nearby hydroelectric power station.
The use of geothermal energy for fish by-products is likely to increase in the
future. The interest in Iceland is focused on the use of geothermal energy in lowheat regions. It can be expected that the price of oil will increase more than the local
energy in the future, and therefore it is worth paying attention to the use of locally
available energy sources for the fishing industry (Bechtel 2003).
15.3.3 SDG14.9 Support Artisanal Fishermen
Sustainable Development Goal 14:9 is “Provide access for small-scale artisanal
fishermen to marine resources and markets”.
In recent history, fisheries and fish processing jobs have been in decline in
Iceland. Like many other countries, Iceland has been mindful not to overfish. With
stock sustainability and the ecological effects of fishing and management systems
as core concerns, Iceland has become even more competitive in the global marketplace by using fish by-products. Iceland has discovered one way of creating value
and jobs, especially in remote and rural areas where such opportunities are not taken
for granted (Sigfusson 2017a, b).
This approach has been beneficial to all levels of the supply chain, including fishermen in remote areas who have seen the prices of fish triple in recent years due to
increased interest in value-added issues. The sustainability of the Icelandic system
means that fishermen now rank amongst Iceland’s highest-paid workers. The Icelandic
model has proved reliable, and this model could be duplicated in seafood industries
around the world, creating new opportunities in coastal areas (Sigfusson 2017a, b).
E. Palomino