 Alaska Seafood Newsbrief ASMI E-Newsletter for the Alaska Seafood Industry
April 28 , 2006
In this issue:
Message from the Executive Director Springtime is here, halibut from Alaska is going great guns in the U.S. market, and there is very high interest in the wild salmon from Alaska. Salmon trollers this past week transitioned from winter kings to spring kings, and both trollers and gillnetters will be targeting kings on the Stikine River starting May 1. Governor Murkowski's trade mission to Europe included visits to a number of Alaska's valued seafood customers in Germany and England. His high profile visit was excellently timed, as the largest seafood show in Europe is just around the corner and Alaska seafood companies will be there in force to reap the benefits. I'll send you photos from the show together with an on-site report from the European Seafood Exposition in my next Newsbrief. Until then, Ray Riutta |
Governor Visits Valued EU Trade Partners Governor Murkowski just concluded his spring trade mission to Europe. He called on a number of Alaska Seafood customers while in Germany and the United Kingdom, in addition to meeting with the press. ASMI's international arm participated in the mission. The Governor's website has news releases about the mission’s activities in Germany and London. |
China Dispatch: Alaska Seafood Tops Rolling Stones There were empty seats at the Rolling Stones concert in Shanghai, but it was standing room only at ASMI's Alaska Seafood seminars in Shanghai, HangZhou and Shenzen. Although 50 chefs from prestigious restaurants were invited to the seminar in Shanghai, 80 materialized for the event. The technical seminars, funded through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Quality Samples Program, acquainted Chinese chefs with Alaska seafood products. The chefs had presentations from ASMI seafood technical staff on quality and handling issues, harvesting, and quality attributes of frozen seafood (something of a rarity in a country where the chefs are accustomed to working with fresh—even live—product). A respected Chinese chef demonstrated eastern style dishes, and Chef Al Levinson from Alaska demonstrated western style recipes. A camera projected the chef demonstrations on a screen for easy viewing, however the attending chefs were so curious about Chef Levinson's techniques for freeing crab meat from the shell that they gathered round and even climbed up on the stage. Rumor has it that after all the work was done, Chef Levinson, who lives in a town where big-name bands seldom visit, went to see the Rolling Stones. |
Neighborhood Grocer in Utah Takes Ball, Runs Harmons grocery retail chain now boasts 11 stores, most in the Salt Lake City area. The family-owned chain sprang from roots that go back to the 1930's, and has a strong culture of quality service. ASMI has been providing training and other resources to Harmons for some time, and we were pleased to see Alaska Seafood graphics and logo incorporated into their latest billboard design. This is a great example of a retailer taking advantage of ASMI resources and showing outstanding retailer support for an Alaska Seafood promotion. |
Halibut Prompts Prose in LA Times The Los Angeles Times this week published a story by Russ Parsons, who despite distress over the shortage of king salmon proclaimed Pacific halibut the "season's silver lining." Parsons waxed eloquent in his description: "Halibut’s close-grained flesh turns snowy white when cooked. Its flavor, not as aggressive as salmon and mackerel, is sweet with a warm, herbal bottom note almost like bay." |
Long Standing Love Affair: Halibut + Gastronomy ASMI has worked with the Gastronomy restaurant chain based in Salt Lake City for several years, educating chefs and supporting promotions of Alaska seafood products in the chain's high-end restaurants. The chain is currently running a promotion of Alaska Halibut that highlights the Alaska origin of the fish. Halibut is available at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The popular power breakfast? Alaska Halibut Eggs Benedict. For more details, see this story in ASMI's foodservice e-news. |
European Seafood Expo Around the Corner Many executives and salespeople with the Alaska seafood industry are heading to Brussels, Belgium for the European Seafood Exposition May 9 – 11. The Alaska Pavilion, an umbrella booth devised by ASMI, will include an ASMI booth and individual booths of at least one dozen Alaska suppliers. About 20,000 seafood buyers attend this show. 1600 companies from 80 countries exhibit. ASMI will be joined in the Alaska Pavilion by Alaska Troll Salmon Processors Assn., E&E Foods, Intersea Fisheries West, NorQuest Seafoods, North Pacific Seafoods, Northern Keta Caviar, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Pacific Seafood, Palomino Foods, Peter Pan Seafoods, Seafood Producers Cooperative, and Trident Seafoods. |
Dr. Weil Takes Healthy Eating Messages to Doctors, Nutritionists Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons is teaming up with the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine to provide continuing medical education to physicians, nutritionists and health care professionals through the 3rd Annual conference "Nutrition and Health: State of the Science and Clinical Applications," in New York City next week. Health guru Dr. Andrew Weil, who frequently appears on TV and in print extolling the virtues of a healthy diet, including wild Alaska salmon and black cod, spearheads this effort. ASMI supports the conference and will be providing information to the 600 medical and health professionals as well as to more than 1200 people expected for a public forum on food, politics, and society. New Brochure Reveals US Diners' View of Alaska Seafood If you sell Alaska Seafood to quick service or casual dining chains, the new brochure Menu Alaska (part number 130-015) should be on your list. It summarizes the research ASMI had done by The Hale Group on customer attitudes, behaviors and preferences regarding Alaska Seafood versus other sources and brands, and quantifies diners' associations of Alaska Seafood with positive attributes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 1-800-478-2903
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