Tímarit Verkfræðingafélags Íslands - 01.12.1967, Síða 134

132
TlMARIT VFl 1967
smiðju S.l.F. veitti hún 30 þúsund króna styrk
árið 1938. Þetta voru miklir peningar á þeim
árum, miðað við útflutningsverðmæti íslenzkra
sjávarafurða. Árið 1935 voru fluttar út íslenzk-
ar sjávarafurðir fyrir 38 milljónir króna, en
árið 1965 fyrir 5.257 milljónir króna, eða 138
sinnum meira. Til markaðsleitar og vegna taps
á tilraunasendingum mætti því greiða nú nær
10 milljónir króna á ári, og styrkur til niður-
suðuverksmiðju, hliðstæður því, sem S.l.F. fékk
1938, væri nú rúmar 4 milljónir króna. Slíkt
væri mikill stuðningur við íslenzkan niðursuðu-
iðnað. Heppilegasta fyrirkomulag á opinberum
stuðningi til niðursuðuiðnaðarins íslenzka væri
vafalaust greiðsla uppbóta á útfluttar niðursuðu-
vörur. Skynsamlegra virðist að veita niðursuðu-
iðnaðinum stuðning með útflutningsuppbótum
heldur en bæta svo stórlega upp útfluttar af-
urðir landbúnaðarins sem gert er. Niðursuðuiðn-
aðurinn er mikilvæg iðngrein, sem hér er í upp-
byggingu og á fullan rétt á sér, en útflutningur
landbúnaðarafurða héðan verður að teljast óeðli-
legur.
Með hverju ári fer reynsla okkar í niðurlagn-
ingu og niðursuðu vaxandi og því fólki fjölgar
hér stöðugt, sem kann til þessarra hluta. Eftir-
spurn eftir alis konar fiskmeti fer og stöðugt
vaxandi í heiminum. Horfurnar í íslenzkri fisk-
niðursuðu verða því að teljast góðar.
Summary
Canning represents a method of preserving
foods practiced for over 150 years and continu-
ously being improved upon. The canned food-
stuffs available, sterilized or semipreserved, are
ever increasing in number. Manifold edible fish
products are preserved by means of these met-
hods. During the past decades methods of heating
have been improved upon so that it has by
now been rendered possible to sterilize many
types of foodstuffs without their undergoing
undesired changes. Sanitation is continuously
being increased in the handling of the raw
material, and packing material is improved upon
in many ways.
The Icelandic canning industry is still at the
pioneering stage. Despite the fact that the first
canneries were erected here before the turn of
the century, there was no marked export of
canned goods from Iceland until 1940, but the
exports during that year came to 580 tons. In
1965 the export quantity of this commodity was
680 tons. The largest items of export were gaffel-
bits and sardines to the U.S.S.R., cod roes to
Britain and trout to the U.S.A. and Germany.
Fifteen canneries, thereof three large ones, were
in operation. A mere 0.1% of the catch of fish
went to the canning industry during 1965.
The chief raw material for canning in Iceland
is herring. This has mainly been processed as
gaffelbits, fillets, sardines and kippers. Among
other canned goods produced here to any extent
a mention may be made of fish balls, fish
pudding, trout, cod roes and prawns, all being
sterilized goods, and the semipreserves sea
salmon and caviar. New commodities of this type
which enter the question are marinated herring,
fried herring, herring milt, cod liver, smoked
dogfish, lobster, mussel and clam.
Procuring cans frequently causes difficulties
in this country, and a large quantity of ready-
made cans are being imported. There is only one
eanmaking factory in operation in this country,
and it is necessary to enlarge this so that it may
have all kinds of cans to offer.
The Icelandic canning industry requires official
support in order to embark upon large-scale
production and for marketing purposes. It ap-
pears most suitable to pay liberal subsides on
exports of canned goods.
Icelandic skill in canning continues to improve
and there is abundant and excellent raw material.
The world demand for all kinds of edible fish
increases year by year. The Icelandic fish
canning industry therefore appears to have a
promising future as soon as the initial obstacles
have been overcome.
Heimildir
(1) Yearbook of Fishery Statistics 1964 FAO a-4.
(2) Arnór Sigurjónsson, Fiskimálanefnd (1945) 168-
171.