Alaska Seafood Newsbrief

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings-

The ASMI Board of Directors meets in Juneau March 2 and 3, and will have an opportunity to meet face to face with members of the newly created Customer Advisory Panel. The members of this group are drawn from distinguished companies in the U.S. and overseas. The Customer Advisory Panel represents a cross section of our international customer base, and includes leaders from both foodservice and retail sectors. They will be offering their expertise to advise the board and inform its decision making. We appreciate that these individuals are volunteering their time to benefit the Alaska seafood industry.

Here in Alaska many seafood industry members are hard at work. Alaska Tanner crab (marketed as Alaska Snow Crab) harvested in Kodiak and Golden King Crab from Southeast Alaska is making its way to market, Alaska pollock is being harvested in the Bering Sea, and fishermen in many coastal areas are painstakingly preparing their longline gear for the opening of fishing for Alaska Halibut in early March. Many retail stores and restaurants are poised to make much of the first fresh Alaska Halibut of the year as soon as it arrives.

See you over the next swell,

Ray Riutta

Alaska Seafood is on the menu at Yale, and wild Alaska Salmon was the ingredient revealed at the last minute for last Wednesdays chef competition, styled after the popular Iron Chef contests. The University purchased Alaska Salmon last fall to serve to students and faculty throughout the school year, after noting its popularity with diners and noting its recognition as a sustainable seafood item. The contest among 12 competing chefs from Yales residential college dining halls resulted in top honors going to Morse. ASMIs foodservice program has been working of late with Yale University, Stanford University and University of Massachusetts at Amherst. For action photos from Yale and more info, read these articles (article 1, article 2) in the Yale Daily News.

German TV Show on Location in Alaska

The popular German television program Abenteuer Leben (Life's Adventures) sent a production crew to Alaska to film a new segment: How Pollock Comes to Germany. The show focuses on people who have exotic, unusual jobs or missions. The program airs on Kabel 1, one of the five large private television channels in Germany. ASMI hosted the Kabel 1 crew again this year as part of its media relations work in the European Union. We figure we got close to one million dollars in free air time in Germany for the segment they shot in Alaska last year, said Joe Jacobson, ASMI international marketing program director. Visits to the state-of-the-art processing facilities of Trident Seafoods, Unisea, and Westward Seafoods contributed significantly to the success of the film shoot. The film crew captured the explorations of Mr. Wolfgang Kampf, an inspector for Pickenpack- Hussmann & Hahn Seafood, during his tour of seafood processing facilities far out on the Aleutian Chain. Click here to see photos and the rest of the story.

Lt. Governor Presents Chef Awards in China

Lt. Governor Craig Campbell, in China to encourage commerce with Alaska, was able to attend a ceremony and reception honoring winners of an Alaska Seafood Chef Competition. Lt. Governor Campbell addressed the audience and together with Ms. Yang Liu, Executive Vice President of the China Cuisine Association, presented awards to the winning chefs. Robin Wang, ASMIs representative in China, explained that ASMI partnered with the China Cuisine Association to conduct the contest. Forty hotel and restaurant chefs competed, using Alaska sockeye salmon, king crab, Pacific cod, and Pollock roe. The winners of the competition were Mr. Chen Guang, head chef at the Wanda Pullman Hotel in Beijing, and Mr. Qui Gai Yuan of De Cheng Hotel in Beijing. Click here to see photos of the event.

Lt. Governor Campbell, Kevin Banks, Director, Department of Natural Resources; Shelly James, Trade Specialist, Office of International Trade; Yingdi Wang, China Trade Representative, State of Alaska; Greg Wolf, Executive Director, World Trade Center Alaska; Senator and Mrs. Lyman Hoffman, Senator Linda Menard, and Representative Kurt Olson were all in attendance.

ASMI Board Meets In Juneau March 2-3

The ASMI Board of Directors is meeting March 2 and 3 in Juneau, and will include participation by the newly formed Customer Advisory Panel. Click here for ASMI events calendar listings.