Exquisite Taste of Fish Roe

The brief Lumpfish season in spring is crucial for the small boat fishermen in Western Greenland, particularly from Disko Bay and further south. A significant portion of their annual earnings is made during these intense weeks. By Ditte Lund The lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is found extensively in the North and East Atlantic, and it is particularly prevalent along the West coast of Greenland. Its roe is primarily harvested and consumed similarly to traditional sturgeon caviar, but the gelatinous meat of the large female is also valued in Asian markets. The lumpfish is a unique species – almost spherical with scale-less skin and rows of bumpy protrusions, known as tubercles, all over. It has a round sucker disc on the underside of its body that can hold up to 18 kg. By attaching itself to rocks or seaweed with the disc, the lumpfish, a weak swimmer, prevents itself from being swept away by currents. The fishery, which occurs from March to June, focuses on the large females rather than the smaller males, as the females carry large amounts of the sought-after roe. Fishery The lumpfish fishery is conducted from small boats and dinghies using nets set with buoys and anchors. The fish gets caught in the net when it enters the shallow coastal areas during spring (March to July) to spawn. Most fishermen operate 10-15 nets that are emptied daily, weather permitting, to ensure that the roe is perfectly fresh when it reaches the processing facility onshore. The fisherman removes the fish from the net and carefully extracts the roe from the large females. The roe is stored in clean barrels kept at low temperature until delivered at the factory. Important livelihood In the smaller Greenlandic settlements, some with no more than 100-200 residents, lumpfish is among one of the few species that can be landed, due to limited processing facilities. Therefore, lumpfish fishery plays a vital role in supporting more isolated communities along the west coast. The fact that cleaning and salting of roe does not require freezing facilities makes the small scale productions in the smallest settlements fully competitive against the larger and more advanced landing facilities. Royal Greenland operates more than 10 lumpfish factories of various sizes where roe is bought from local fishermen. In the small factories, the staff will increase from 1-2 in the low season to up to 10 people in roe season. Much effort is put into the few weeks of lumpfish fishery, and the most active fishermen deliver up to 10 tons of roe and make a significant portion of their annual income. When the brief season ends, most fishermen switch to other species such as cod or halibut for dried and/or salted fish for the Greenlandic domestic market, hunt for game or take on jobs in the community. Roe can be frozen fresh directly in Greenland at some of the larger Royal Greenland roe facilities or salted and shipped to the company's factory in Cuxhaven, Germany where it can be flavoured and/or dyed and preserved in jars. Close cooperation with local fishermen and own production setup ensures strong vertical integration and full traceability. Share LinkedIn Pinterest Facebook Send By Email