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| A Norwegian fishing boat catches mackerel in the North Sea in this photo provided by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), Tuesday. Courtesy of NSC |
Scandinavian nation expects more mackerel to be served on Koreans' dining tables
By Baek Byung-yeul
Norway offers fresh, nutritious and safely processed mackerel to Korean consumers, according to a state-run organization that promotes the Scandinavian country's seafood products, Tuesday.
"Norwegian mackerel grown in cold water is known for a consistently high level of essential fatty acids such as healthy omega-3 EPA/DHA fatty acids. This high fat content is the reason why Norwegian mackerel has gained such a reputation around the world and is often considered a delicacy," the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) said.
The NSC is a public company owned by Norway's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries and is the approval authority for Norwegian seafood exporters. The council also acts as an adviser for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries in affairs concerning seafood exports and trade.
The council further mentioned that Norwegian fishermen catch mackerel between September and November when the fish are the most nutritious and delicious.
"In order to survive in the cold winter sea, they eat a lot and naturally increase in fat and gain weight. Especially between September and November, when the mackerel swim back from the feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea to the spawning areas ― this is when the mackerel has the highest fat content, is at its tastiest and is packed with fat. Also, Mackerel is rich in protein, vitamin D, selenium, etc.," the NSC said.
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| This image, provided by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), Tuesday, shows the health value of Norwegian mackerel and its distribution process to maintain good quality. Courtesy of NSC |
Mackerel is arguably the favorite fish of Koreans as many people prefer to eat grilled mackerel. Other than eating grilled mackerel, there are a variety of recipes, such as boiled mackerel and mackerel sashimi.
According to the Korea Maritime Institute's (KMI) survey of 1,000 adults in 2019, mackerel was the preferred seafood of 12.3 percent of Koreans, followed by squid with 11.3 percent and cutlassfish with 9.9 percent. The KMI also said the annual consumption of mackerel per Korean individual is 2.8 kilograms as of 2017.
To enable more Koreans to taste the freshness of its mackerel, the NSC said that Norway not only catches mackerel at its most delicious time, but it also makes great efforts to maintain the quality of the fish and distribute them safely.
"Seafood is the biggest export after oil, and Norway adheres to international standards, working closely with EU Food Law, and Norway was one of the first to introduce a traceability system for fish. Through this system, it is able to say exactly where the mackerel was caught," the NSC said.
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| Workers at a seafood processing plant in Alesund, Norway, process mackerel in this photo provided by Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), Tuesday. Courtesy of NSC |
Fresh mackerel to the dining table
The NSC said that the key to the freshness of mackerel is how fast the fish are transported and processed as soon as they are caught.
"Mackerel is a fast-swimming fish. In fact, due to the nature of it being unable to breathe when it stops, mackerel has to swim constantly to breathe. That's why mackerel dies as soon as it's caught because of the lack of oxygen and the vessel must transport it quickly to the processing factory," the council said.
"Vessels have developed innovative solutions for the freshness. As soon as the mackerel is lifted out of the water, it is also important to keep pelagic species cool, so our boats have large cooling tanks installed. Once aboard, the mackerel is kept in sophisticated holding tanks, which use refrigerated seawater to keep the fish at a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius," NSC added.
To prevent damaging the meat quality of mackerel, Norwegian ships use the latest technologies, according to the council.
"Lifting the mackerel on the vessel might damage the fish because it puts too much mechanical pressure on them. Norway's modern vessels have been designed to make fishing as efficient as possible, and they are also invested heavily in new technologies that preserve the quality of the mackerel ― both the meat and the texture," NSC said.
For fresh distribution, mackerel caught by Norwegian fishermen are sold while still at sea through online auctions.
"This process makes mackerel get transported to processing plants quickly. And it maintains freshness by drastically reducing the time required for the auction process," NSC said.
"Most processing processes are automated. Once on shore, the fish is filleted or packed whole and frozen immediately. This maintains the high natural quality and ensures that consumers all over the world can enjoy first-class products."
