Marine fishing cluster diagnostic Study

13.2.
 
LABORATORIES
Almost none of the interviewed SMFCs cooperate with local or international laboratories. The reason is 
that they are not required to check the quality of captured fish, as this is done by the LHCs receiving fish 
from them. LHCs cooperate with some local laboratories, such as the Laboratory of the Ministry of 
Environment and Agriculture, Laboratory of Poti and Batumi. Internationally, they have cooperation 
experience with Turkish, Chinese, Greek and some European laboratories. According to the LHCs 
respondents, intensive, batch to batch laboratory checking is not required from the client companies. 
However, they do such testing regularly to control the quality of the fish products, which, as they re- 
port, is of high quality and always respected by Turkish and European traders. 
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13.3.
 
INNOVATION AND R&D 
Marine fishing companies do not have established collaboration with scientific, research or respective 
institutions in the direction of R&D and innovation. The main source of information about advanced 
tendencies and innovation trends are obtained via Turkish Marine Fishing companies and through the 
internet. One of the companies mentioned that the installation of truck engine on the vessel was a 
recent innovation implemented by the company. Another company also mentioned the plan to install 
Volvo or Man truck engine on the vessel. For becoming more competitive the companies require 
financial support in acquiring new vessels, purse seine nets (‘Kisa bade’ term used in Georgian), 
refrigerator and fish drying technologies. 
One of the interviewed SMFCs, having also small processing facility with a refrigerator, fish calibration 
unit, small smoking and vacuum packing machines, have cooperation with Italian specialists. The idea of 
such collaboration is that Italians, with their techniques and technological know-how, process captured 
fish and modify them so that they become visually more attractive, with better shelf life and ready to be 
used in cannery production. Thus, the aim of the cooperation is receiving higher value-added products 
eligible for exporting to European retail markets. However, as the respondent stressed, Italians never 
share such know-how to Georgians, and during the process, Georgians are asked to leave the facility. The 
research team met such Italian representatives on-site.