Alaska Seafood Newsbrief

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings-

There's "termination dust" on the mountains -- the first snowflakes signal the onset of colder days. Although summer is behind us, there's plenty of activity in the world of Alaska seafood harvesting: divers are gathering sea cucumbers, trollers are seeking winter king salmon, crabbers are deploying pots for red king crab, golden king crab and snow crab, longlining for halibut continues for another month, state waters Pacific cod openings are underway, and although most commercial salmon fishing activity has wound down, some fall salmon runs are still in evidence, supporting some fishing in remote areas and helping bears fatten up before the long winter. In Alaska, commercial fishing takes place twelve months a year as harvesters and processors produce food for families all over the world.

In this Newbrief we have updates on promotional activities in various parts of the world, information on the next meeting of all our Board and Committee members in early December, and a notice of openings for seafood industry representatives on some ASMI committees. If you haven't checked out the latest ASMI resources on sustainability, you will find them in the new Sustainability section of the ASMI website. And if you are an Alaska fisherman or Alaska processor, make sure you get a password and visit your special section of the website to access the long range promotional calendar and other resources that can improve your edge.

See you over the next swell,

Ray Riutta

King Crab Season Kick-Off

Red king crab are the tasty prize sought by crab fishermen heading out to participate in what's sure to be a blustery adventure. "Bringing up pot after pot loaded with big beautiful white-bellied soakers is what it's all about," says Jim Hunter of the F/V Arctic Hunter. "Waking up in the calm waters of Dutch Harbor after a grueling week of work, with a big load aboard and thoughts of a good pay-day, make it all worthwhile." Click here to learn more.

Although most people imagine Alaska king crab going into U.S. and Asian markets, ASMI has worked to promote Alaska king crab in the European Union as well. King crab is always displayed at trade show booths, including the gigantic European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, where ASMI hosted 11 companies whose combined onsite Alaska seafood sales were estimated at $31 million. Imports of king crab to France have been taking place for many years, and now even caviar stores are selling Alaska king crab as a specialty item. ASMI has garnered publicity for king crab in French media, and promoted Alaska branded crab through national foodservice distributors, with the result that Alaska king crab has made its way onto French menus from the Alps to the French Riviera.

UMass-Amherst Celebrates Sustainability and Alaska Seafood

Alaska's sustainable seafood was in the limelight last week at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst as part of a celebration of sustainability by the third largest campus dining operation in the country. This marks the second year ASMI has partnered with University of Massachusetts, Amherst to focus on sustainable Alaska Seafood. Ken Toong, Director of UMass Dining Services, has been instrumental in putting locally grown produce and Alaska Seafood on the menu. Presentations on Alaska's management of fisheries resources for sustainability were part of the celebration. Alaska salmon, black cod, Weathervane scallops, cod and halibut were prepared for lunch and dinner for students. The operations under Mr. Toong's direction serve 45,000 customers a day.

One Million Daiei Shoppers Can't Be Wrong

The numbers are in: a three-day Alaska seafood promotion at Daiei Supermarkets, that coincided with Daiei's nation-wide American Food Fair, attracted one million shoppers. Last year Alaska Seafood wasn't featured during the event, but this year Alaska Seafood held a prominent place, and seafood sales increased 228%. Daiei is the third largest retail supermarket chain in Japan, with 207 stores.

Celebrity Chef Seaver Shares Knowledge at CIA

Students at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, learned about sustainable fisheries management in Alaska from ASMI staff and celebrity chef Barton Seaver of Washington, D.C. The CIA is a prestigious chef training school, and its graduates become influential leaders in the food world, particularly the foodservice industry. Chef Seaver covered the topics of sustainable management, as well as the finer points of identifying Alaska's five species of wild salmon. ASMI foodservice director Claudia Hogue and seafood technical director Randy Rice provided the CIA students with information and resources as part of ASMI's ongoing program of educating chefs.

Top Tier British Foodies Nosh on Alaska Seafood

Two hundred and fifty influential figures from the British food industry noshed on Alaska seafood delights at the annual award ceremony of the Guild of Food Writers in London. A special canapé menu was developed to emphasise the versatility of Alaska seafood and to showcase the wide range of wild Alaska seafood products. Press kits of information on Alaska Seafood's sustainability were provided to the guests, who included Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall and Nick Fischer of The River Cottage Fish Book, Jill Dupleix and Patrick Anthony from The Times, Terry Durack from The Independent, Susan Lowe from BBC Food, and presenting the awards on behalf of the Guild, Prue Leith OBE (Order of the British Empire).

U.K. On-Line Promotions, Ads, Shine Spotlight on Alaska Seafood

In August of 2008, ASMI Northern EU launched an integrated promotion with the BBC Food Group. Full page ads in BBC Good Food and Olive magazines included information about the benefits of Alaska seafood, new recipes and an offer for the Wild Wonderful Alaska Seafood recipe book (see last issue of Newsbrief). The ads also directed readers to a wild Alaska seafood microsite hosted by BBC Food Group that reached a half million visitors, and in addition to the web traffic, the campaign generated over 4,000 responses. An additional 2,500 requests for Wild Wonderful Alaska Seafood have already been generated by a newsletter offer to 96,000 subscribers through Delia Online, the official website of Delia Smith, one of most respected culinary figures in the United Kingdom. The recent Delia Online promotion built on earlier success of an ASMI advertisement previously run on the site.

Surimi Producer Adopts ASMI Logo

The surimi producing company Hashimoto Shokai adopted an Alaska Seafood logo with the tagline "Wild and Sustainable Since 1959" on its retail packages of Hashimoto Shokai Surimi (Kanikama). The president of the company, Mr. Kon, who visited Alaska in July of this year and attended the Alaska Seafood Sustainability Forum, is also chairman of the Seafood Resource Procurement Committee of Zenkama. This large organization comprises makers of the surimi product forms kamaboko and nerimono, valued customers in Japan of Alaska pollock producers.

Chef Keff Inducted Into Wild Salmon Hall of Fame

The first-ever chef inducted into the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center's Wild Salmon Hall of Fame is Chef Christine Keff of Seattle. Chef Keff, who is know to many in the region through her restaurant Flying Fish, is being honored for her passion for the preservation of sustainable wild salmon. ASMI nominated Chef Keff for the Wild Salmon Hall of Fame Award. Congratulations, Chef Keff!

Alaska State Fair

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute was a proud sponsor of the Alaska Seafood Grillin' Throwdown, part of Experience Alaska themed days at the Alaska State Fair. Together with representatives of the visitor industry, ASMI staff helped enhance fairgoers' experience with information, Alaska seafood recipes and chefs preparing Alaska seafood tasting samples for an enthusiastic crowd. ASMI's Lynn Coffee, aided by volunteer Verna Adams, covered the bases, meeting hundreds of Alaskans during the fair, interacting with chefs and supplying the Master of Ceremonies with lots of fun facts about wild Alaska Seafood.

Global Effort of International Program

The page that welcomes website visitors interested in ASMI's overseas marketing effort is more efficient than ever, allowing visitors quick and easy access to international websites serving the promotional effort for Alaska seafood in 20 countries. Export value of Alaska seafood has increased at a substantially higher rate in countries where Alaska seafood is actively promoted.

Canned Salmon and International Food Aid

The ASMI website's global gateway page welcoming visitors exploring our international marketing effort also draws attention to the Alaska Canned Salmon Global Food Aid Program providing nutritious food this year to people Laos, Jamaica and Cambodia.

"All Hands" -- ASMI Board and Committees to Meet

A meeting of the ASMI Board of Directors and all ASMI Committees will be held on Dec. 1, 2, and 3. All meetings are open to the public.

ASMI Committees Have Openings

Alaska seafood industry members interested in serving on an ASMI committee should get their letter of interest in to ASMI by October 15, 2008. Information on open seats and seats coming open later this year, as well as instructions on how to send a letter of interest are available on the ASMI website. ASMI has four species committees (Salmon, Halibut-Sablefish, Whitefish, Shellfish) and four operational committees (Retail Marketing, Foodservice Marketing, International Marketing, and Seafood Technical).

Alaska Chef Rob Kinneen's 2008 GASCO Recipes Posted!

Chef Rob Kinneen's recipes developed to showcase Alaska Seafood at the 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) have just been posted on ASMI's website. Chef Kinneen, of Orso, a popular restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, was assisted at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off by Jay Christopher, sommelier at The Crow's Nest at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Chef Kinneen created two recipes for the Cook-Off. Sockeye Salmon Grillade (accompanied by Hoppin' John with Red Eye Gravy, Reindeer Sausage and Spot Prawns) pays homage to southern culinary traditions. The second recipe offers an Alaskan twist on an Italians classic: Clams, Shrimp and Reindeer Sausauge with Fettucine.

Cooking Classes for Parents and Kids, Mr. Fish, Make News

This is the second year in a row that ASMI has conducted its popular cooking classes for Japanese parents and children in Nagoya, Sendai, Sapporo, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Hiroshima. At the Tokyo event, where officials of the U.S. Embassy and the Agricultural Trade Office were involved in the presentations, five Tokyo television stations sent camera crews and reporters to capture the action. Special guest appearances there by two popular TV personalities, Mr. Fish and Madam Nishimura, added to the media interest, and stories aired on morning and evening news as well as being carried on the internet. This series of classes constituted an important part of the cooking classes scheduled in Japan this year.

Alaska Seafood and Monkeydish.com

The site monkeydish.com is a magnet for foodservice professionals from all over the country. The site, operated by the respected foodservice publication Restaurant Business, has an Alaska Seafood "Top 10 Sustainability Tips" page that offers helpful tips on topics from sourcing to sustainable management. Structured as a "Top Ten" countdown, the ten tips will be highlighted each in turn, and recipients of the ASMI foodservice e-news will receive a notice prompting them to check out the new tip highlighted on the site. See tips on the monkeydish.com site by clicking the Alaska Seafood banner ad.