Alaska Seafood Newsbrief

Message from the Executive Director

The popularity of wild Alaska Seafood was evident at the European Seafood Show in Brussels, and the booths in the Alaska pavilion enjoyed brisk business. The show offered a great chance to meet with fans of Alaska products, not only from Europe, but from all over the world. Whether ASMI staff are introducing Alaska seafood products at seminars for retailers and chefs in China, or talking with European seafood importers about Alaska's sustainable management of its abundant fisheries resources, they report a high level of interest now in the wide range of natural products Alaska has to offer: shellfish including the mighty Alaska king crab, whitefish varieties like Alaska pollock from the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Pacific cod and halibut, and five different species of salmon. As Alaska's summer arrives, and the tempo of commercial harvesting increases, we wish all the best to the many families who are part of the Alaska seafood industry, and hope you have a great season!

See you over the next swell,

Ray

The ASMI Booth at the European Seafood exposition at the end of April in Brussels, Belgium, was a two-level affair, providing ample space for Alaska seafood tastings, display cases full of various Alaska seafood products, displays of literature and sales aids, and space for Alaska suppliers to meet with international customers. ASMI organizes an Alaska Pavilion with more than a dozen booths operated by Alaska suppliers adjacent to the ASMI booth: they reported an estimated $124 million in sales as a result of participating in the exhibition. This is the world's most prominent seafood exposition.

Andrew Brown, Nelly Masson and David McClellan (ASMI's three representatives based in the European Union) introduced many of the European customers to Kara Winegar, recently appointed ASMI marketing specialist for the European Union. Kara was delighted to greet Alaska seafood customers from throughout Europe.

Training is the Name of the Game
The Discovery Channel's reality TV series on the Alaska crab fishing industry, " Deadliest Catch,"Helping others discover the variety, versatility and exceptional eating qualities of Alaska seafood products is part of our ongoing activity in U.S. and international markets. The 2007 Alaska Seafood seminar in early May at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus involved two dozen people in an intensive three-day seminar covering every aspect of Alaska seafood products: resource management and commercial harvest of the various species, available product forms, preparation methods, and wine pairings. Participating executive chefs and directors of foodservice businesses can explore the products and preparations that best fit their operation, from quick service and quick casual restaurant chains and large scale foodservice operation to cruise ships and university dining halls.

ASMI's international program offers training to people in the retail seafood sector as well as to chefs of prominent fine dining establishments that help set culinary trends. Hands-on chef seminars with Alaska's Chef Al Levinsohn introduced chefs in Guangzhou and Shanghai to the possibilities of Alaska Seafood (and expanded Chef Levinsohn's awareness of the exquisite variety of Chinese culinary treatments). Seminars were also held for retail managers. Educating these key individuals creates opportunities for retail promotions and restaurant menuing of Alaska Seafood as a branded item.

Spreading the Health Message
Six-hundred medical and nutrition professionals will receive continuing medical education at the Nutrition and Health conference and 1200 members of the public attended a conference forum on healthy eating. The healthy benefits of eating fish, and wild Alaska fish in particular, will be brought to their attention. The popular health guru Dr. Andrew Weil plays a key role in this annual conference sponsored by the University of Arizona School of Integrative Medicine and its counterpart at Columbia University. Dr. Weil is a fan of Alaska seafood and recommends consumption of wild Alaska salmon and black cod as part of a healthy dietary regimen. Dr. Weil continues to be a media star: in the last four months he appeared on Good Morning America, Live with Regis & Kelly, Fox and Friends, Martha Stewart Show, the Colbert Report, and specials on CNN and PBS. Alaska Seafood has been a sponsor of the conference since its inception four years ago, and Alaska Seafood information and recipes will be distributed to the attendees.

Sustainability the Focal Point of Aquarium Events
Alaska Seafood gets a big boost each year from the activities conducted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, the country's most prominent consumer education effort in the area of sustainable seafood. Species are recognized through this program as being sustainably managed, and Alaska species are among the top environmentally desirable choices. The Cooking for Solutions series May 17-20 includes seminars for the media, a celebrity chef-studded seafood sampling gala to educate 1300 ticketholders, cooking demonstrations and an information fair for an anticipated 6000 aquarium visitors.

You can learn more about the Seafood Watch program here: http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp