Alaska Seafood Newsbrief

Message from the Executive Director

Hard to believe the Boston Seafood Show is already behind us and the European Seafood Exposition is just over the next swell. Our fisherman have been heading out in some pretty tough weather to bring in the first Halibut and Black Cod of the season, the Sitka herring run is already over and we are on the cusp of what could be the seventh largest Alaska Salmon harvest in a century.

At Boston, Alaska came away with a couple of top awards by one of our largest companies (Trident Seafoods) and one of our smallest (King Salmon's Diamond Lodge Smokehouse) who won first place positions in the new products contest. Our third annual "Go Wild Alaska Style" celebration drew a huge crowd and made for fun evening with the Hansen brothers from the Deadliest Catch capturing a lot of attention from the crowd. We really appreciate the way our industry stepped up to the plate to sponsor this event!

Also at Boston, ASMI had a new and expanded booth to cover the influx of international visitors that now attend the show. Two of ASMI's European Marketing Representatives were there with a number of customers in tow. And of course, the entire U.S. marketing team was there to support our industry. All indications I have heard was that it was a very good show all around. We hope to see similar results in Brussels in just a few weeks.

We fell behind on these updates over this winter . . . and it was quite a winter as we set a snowfall record of over 200 inches in Juneau. We will try to get these back on a regular schedule to keep you up to date in what is going on at ASMI.

Best regards,

Ray

Alaska products claimed the top prizes at this year's New Product Showcase at the International Boston Seafood Show. The winners represented opposite ends of the spectrum of Alaska seafood companies, one a colossus, the other an entrepreneurial venture. American giant Trident Seafoods handily won the foodservice category with Tataki Salmon, a wood-fire seared boneless sockeye salmon loin product. Top honors in the retail category were won by Heidi Weaver of Diamond Lodge Smokehouse for Cold Smoked Halibut.

Click here to see photos of Heidi Weaver, of Diamond Lodge Smokehouse, and John van Amerongen, who received the honor on behalf of Trident Seafoods.

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute expanded its exhibition space to accommodate the heightened level of interest in Alaska's sustainable seafood products. A new booth design lofted the Alaska Seafood logo high into the air for better visibility, and the booth panels were decorated with colorful, stylized illustrations of Alaska seafood species for maximum graphic impact.

Alaska's seafood industry hosted an Alaska reception --- Go Wild Alaska Style! --- in conjunction with the International Boston Seafood Show, inviting some of their esteemed customers to partake of Alaska seafood delicacies and Alaska beer. Governor Sarah Palin sent a videotaped message addressing the group and emphasizing the important role the seafood industry plays in Alaska as it brings premium quality Alaska products from harvest to plates around the world. Hundreds of guests nibbled and sipped in company with their hosts, enjoying the opportunity to discuss business and enjoy Alaska-style hospitality. Guests were also entertained by a performance of traditional Alaska Native song and dance.

"Deadliest Catch" Season Premiere Grabs 3.1 Million Viewers
The Discovery Channel's reality TV series on the Alaska crab fishing industry, " Deadliest Catch," kicked off its third season last week. The season premiere April 3 drew 3.1 million viewers, an increase of 30% over last year, putting it in the top spot among basic cable shows. Fourth generation fishermen Captain Sig Hansen and brother Edgar Hansen, of the F/V Northwestern, are well known faces in living rooms across the country, as is Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie. In addition to learning more about the show on the Discovery Channel's " fansite" you can go to the websites set up by these fishermen to meet fan demand for more details about their lives. The Hansen brothers can be found at http://www.fvnorthwestern.com/, and you can catch clips of crabbing with Harris aboard the new blog http://www.fvcorneliamarie.com/

Other captains and vessels covered in the series include:

• Captain Jonathan Hilstrand and Captain Andy Hilstrand, F/V Time Bandit
• Captain Blake Painter with owners Rick and Donna Quashnick, F/V Maverick
• Captain Keith Colburn, F/V Wizard
• Captain Greg Moncrief and spouse Ragnhild, F/V Farwest Leader
• Captain Allen Oakley, F/V Early Dawn
• Captain Corky Tilley, F/V Aleutian Ballad

Fishing Issues Front and Center at ComFish in Kodiak
ComFish, a seafood industry trade show held in Kodiak, Alaska, drew hundreds of people for pithy conference sessions and trade show exhibits. Among the notable people visiting the ASMI booth during the show were ASMI committee members Al Burch (Whitefish Committee), Jeff Stephan (International Committee), and Carvel Zimin Jr. (Salmon Committee). Representative Gabrielle LeDoux came by at the same time as journalist, radio producer, and ComFish conference coordinator Laine Welch. United Fishermen of Alaska board member and marketing committee chair Bruce Schactler and executive director Mark Vinsel took a short break from the UFA booth, as did Dave Kaplan who was organizing the Star of Kodiak exhibit. Click here for photos of ASMI's ComFish Booth.