Alaska Seafood Newsbrief

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings-

The State of Alaska is bidding one governor goodbye and welcoming a new one. At the Governor's Picnic in Fairbanks this weekend, Governor Sarah Palin relinquished the seat to Governor Sean Parnell, former Lt. Governor. Before departing, Governor Palin reappointed two members of the ASMI Board to fresh terms. We appreciated Governor Palin's strong support for ASMI, and we look forward to a smooth transition in administrations, and a good working relationship with Governor Sean Parnell.

On Thursday I had the pleasure to attend the grand opening of the Goodnews Bay Regional Salmon processing plant in Platinum Alaska. The new $35M plant was funded by the Western Alaska Community Development Quota program with earnings from the Bering Sea pollock fishery. This new plant will process 125,000 round pounds of salmon per shift and up to 40,000 pounds of salmon fillets per day. One hundred twenty seven local residents will be employed in the plant. This is a great example of using the proceeds from one fishery to develop needed capacity in another. All of us at ASMI are excited about this newest addition to our industry and wish our colleagues at the Goodnews Bay plant the very best in the years ahead.

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See you over the next swell,

Ray Riutta

Governor Palin Reappoints Seafood Industry Leaders to Board

As part of a flurry of official duties executed during her last month in office, Governor Sarah Palin reappointed two ASMI board members to new three-year terms. We appreciate that Barry Collier of Peter Pan Seafoods and Mark Palmer of Ocean Beauty Seafoods, who head up their respective companies, are continuing to serve.

In a promotion running from mid-July to mid- September, the popular Taco Del Mar chain is promoting Alaska Pollock in 242 restaurants. Pollock from Alaska is featured in Taco Del Mar's signature fish taco, called "Wild Alaskan Tacos" during the promotion. The promotional materials include a radio spot, TV ads, coupons, window clings, menu boards and table tents.

Alaska Wins Trophy for 3rd Place at Great American Seafood Cook-Off

Responding to a challenge from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin designated Chef Patrick Hoogerhyde of Anchorage to represent Alaska at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off. Chef Hoogerhyde propelled Alaska to 3rd Place at the event, the best performance ever for the state. He wowed the crowd in Louisiana by filleting a royal-sized Alaska king salmon, and then preparing a dazzling dish that incorporated an array of Alaska agricultural and wild plant products. Wild Alaska King Salmon was glazed with a glaze of birch syrup and foraged lowbush cranberries, and served atop a Susitna Valley Potato hash: Alaska-grown greens and Alaska-cultivated oyster mushrooms were utilized, flavored with Alaska Brewing Company's Smoked Porter. The dish made an impression on the expert judges, who awarded Alaska's Hoogerhyde the 3rd Place Trophy. Hoogerhyde was an impressive ambassador for Alaska Seafood, provided the audience of several hundred with information about wild Alaska seafood, as did one of the guest MCs, Alaska crab fisherman (and "The Deadliest Catch" celebrity) Sig Hansen. Hoogerhyde is Executive Chef of Orso in Anchorage, and slated to take the helm of a new venture, a new seafood restaurant in Anchorage, WildFin. Stay tuned.

U.S. Soldiers to Get Alaska Seafood in Operation Snack Attack

U.S. Soldiers in the process of departing for deployments or exercises, or returning to their Alaska military bases, can enjoy various foods as part of "Operation Snack Attack," one of a number of projects operated by the Armed Services YMCA of Alaska. Snacks and drinks are offered to troops, and they are interested in donations for this program which will serve over 20,000 troops this year. The organization is also seeking food donations for its food pantry programs, which serve hundreds of families. The ASMI Board members heard about these programs at the June meeting. Interested seafood companies should contact David R. Gomez, Alaska Executive Director of the Armed Services YMCA at dave.gomez@akasyma.org.

Jacobson to Manage ASMI's International Program, Work With IMC

Joe Jacobson has taken the post of ASMI International Marketing Director. As Marketing Specialist for China and Japan during the past year, Joe developed a high degree of familiarity with the program and its numerous federal requirements. ASMI's international marketing effort is receiving more than $5 million this year from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Market Access Program. The seafood industry and the State of Alaska provide matching funds to leverage the federal dollars.

Jacobson works closely with ASMI's International Marketing Committee, chaired by Jeff Stephan of United Fishermen's Marketing Association based in Kodiak. Other member of the committee are Michael McGinley of Ocean Beauty Seafoods (Vice Chair), Norman Aoyagi of Wards Cove Packing Company, Duncan Fields of Fields Wild Salmon in Kodiak, Torunn Halhjem of Trident Seafoods, Merle Knapp of Glacier Fish Co., Jeff Otness of Ocean Products North America, Dean Pugh of Peter Pan Seafoods, Inc.; Jeff Reynolds of Seafood Producers Cooperative, Mark Sandvik of Icicle Seafoods, and Gordon Stuart of Alaska General Seafoods. The ASMI Board member liaison to the committee is Bruce Wallace, Alaska fisherman and Vice Chair of the ASMI board

Alaska At European Seafood Expo: Sales Results

European Seafood Exposition participation by Alaska companies was the best ever, and Alaska policy makers helped elevate the profile of seafood from their state by attending the trade show and meeting with key international buyers. Preliminary results indicate that on site sales by participating Alaska seafood companies amounted to $36 million and projected follow on sales for the ensuing twelve months are expected to approach $394 million.