A Newsletter for the Seafood Industry published by the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing
June 2006
Gulf Seafood Industry Aid Package
Congress passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to direct $150 million to the Gulf States for aid in hurricane recovery. This funding is a result of the federal Fisheries Declaration of Disaster after Hurricane Katrina in October 2005. The federal government will disburse the funds to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The Appropriations Act cites the following needs among others: removal of wreckage; rehabilitation of oyster and shrimp stocks; updating hurricane reporting capabilities; and repair of a major fisheries laboratory.
Advisory Committee Meets
Key Largo was the site of the June 8 Seafood and Advisory Committee Meeting. Fourteen industry members participated in the meeting and included representative from restaurants, large and small wholesalers and small retailers.
Joanne McNeely, chief of the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing, provided an overview of activities conducted by the Bureau this past fiscal year. Included were special campaigns for wild-caught shrimp and blue crab. An emphasis has been place on public relations, and results of published articles were shared with participants.
Dennis Henderson, president of the Wild American Shrimp Association, updated the committee members on the WASA goals and activities, current and planned. These include a certification program and a six-month pilot program is being implemented with a west coast and east coast salesperson promoting domestic-caught certified wild shrimp.
A new series of recipe brochures for the coming fiscal year was discussed along with ways to assist the food service industry including providing seafood sources, timely seasonality information and marketing tips they can use with their customers. Below are the members of the committee:
Doug Carter, Delaware Chicken Farm and Seafood Market
Ron Harrison, SYSCO
Gary Graves, Keys Fisheries, Inc.
Judy Jamison, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation
Peter Jarvis, Triar Seafood Company
Bob Jones, Southeastern Fisheries Association
Grady Leavins, Leavin’s Seafood
Tim Lycke, Incredible Fresh Seafood
Edward C. Mangano, Aquagem Farms, Inc.
Nancy Mathews, Cox’s Wholesale Seafood
Executive Chef Dean Max, 3030 Ocean Restaurant/DJM Culinary Management
Jay Moon, Moon’s Seafood
Joe Nohren, Bama Sea Products, Inc.
Eugene Raffield, Raffield Fisheries
Jerry Sansom, Organized Fisherman of Florida
Chef Allen Susser, Chef Allen’s Restaurant
Laurilee Thompson, Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant
Sal Versaggi, Versaggi Shrimp
2006 International Boston Seafood Show
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing coordinated and hosted the Florida Pavilion at the International Boston Seafood Show, March 12-14, 2006, at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center in Boston. With more pavilion space than in previous years (800 square feet), Florida seafood and aquaculture companies were provided a high-profile, eye-catching way to present and promote their products. The companies participating were: Leavins Seafood, Apalachicola; Wood’s Fisheries, Port St. Joe; Cox’s Wholesale Seafood, Tampa; Shaw’s Southern Belle Frozen Foods, Jacksonville; Cuzzy’s Special Sauce, Tallahassee; Incredible Fish, Miami; White Water Clams, Miami Lakes; All American Gator Products, Pembroke Park; and Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Tampa.
The goal of participating in this event is to promote the attributes of Florida seafood and aquaculture products, and give companies an opportunity to make new contacts and generate sales. Over 16,000 seafood and aquaculture buyers from around the world attended the show. Those buyers visiting the Florida Pavilion contributed to a record estimated $7 million combined sales for the participating companies within the Florida Pavilion. If you would like additional information, or wish to participate at the 2007 Boston Seafood Show, contact Paul Balthrop at (850) 488-0163 or balthrp@doacs.state.fl.us.
Bureau Employee Dot Williamson Wins Aylesworth Award
Development Representative Supervisor Dot Williamson received the Ralph Aylesworth Award from Southeastern Fisheries Association which commends her as an outstanding government worker.
The award honors Dot for using a professional approach at all times in her dealings with the seafood industry. She is also recognized for her dedication in helping fishermen, dealers, processors and distributors of seafood throughout her career.
Dot has oversight for the marketing section in the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing and works with staff on the coordination of seafood and aquaculture marketing campaigns such as the successful "Wild and Wonderful Florida Shrimp" promotion and the Florida Agricultural Promotion Campaign.
She has almost 28 years of agricultural and seafood marketing experience. A native Floridian, Dot grew up in Blountstown and graduated from Florida State University.
Florida Seafood in the News
Florida seafood received a lot of positive press during this quarter from consumer and trade publications. Twenty documented published articles and ads brought the industry almost 2.4 million consumer impressions and $111, 419 in earned ad value. A variety of topics included the history of Florida seafood, culinary suggestions and recipes, safe handling and information about the state’s species. Species featured in some of the articles were Florida wild-caught shrimp, blue crab, grouper, spiny lobster and red snapper.
The majority of the articles were stimulated by press releases distributed by the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing public relations team. Our thanks to the following print publications and their on-line subsidiaries: Today’s Restaurant News, Tampa Tribune, Florida Times Union, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Orlando Business Journal, Tallahassee Democrat, Bradenton Herald, Daytona News-Journal, Seafood Business, Sunbelt Food Service, Pensacola Magazine, and the River Weekly News.
Small Business Innovation Research Grant Opportunity
The purpose of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is to provide an opportunity for U.S.-owned, for-profit small business firms to submit innovative, applied, research and development projects that address important problems facing American agriculture and have the potential to lead to significant public benefit if the research is successful. Research proposals are accepted in any of the following topic areas: 1) Forests and Related Resources; 2) Plant Production and Protection - Biology; 3) Animal Production and Protection; 4) Soil and Water Resources; 5) Food Science and Nutrition; 6) Rural and Community Development; 7) Aquaculture; 8) Industrial Applications; 9) Marketing and Trade; 10) Animal Manure Management; 11) Small and Mid-Size Farms; and 12) Plant Production and Protection - Engineering. The SBIR program exists in three phases.
Eligibility: Small businesses
Application deadline: Phase I: September 1, 2006
Phase II: February 1, 2007
Grant details and applications can be found at the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) website:
www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/all_forms.html
For additional information, contact:
Andrew Wilson
Phone: (202) 401-4995
"Be Oyster Aware" Web Site Launches
The Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, with a grant from NOAA, provided funding to the bureau for a logo development project. The logo, BeOysterAware.com is a web site identifier for a new web site of the same name. The bureau worked closely with Motivatit Seafood, Bull Bay Clam Farm and other industry representatives on this logo project. The actual logo design was created by the Department’s graphics section. The web site will help interested parties learn more about Vibrio vulnificus, a natural occurring bacteria in raw oysters harvested in warm coastal waters.
While not a serious threat to healthy individuals, consumption of raw or undercooked oysters by at-risk individuals may cause serious illness or even death from Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. To determine whether you or a loved one is at-risk, and learn more about oyster consumption, including recipes, and the post-harvest processes that make raw oysters safer for the at-risk population, visit www.BeOysterAware.com.
Coastal Living Names Top 10 Seafood Markets
Coastal Living Magazine published its list of the Top 10 seafood markets for its “Best of the Coast” article that published in April. Two retail markets on the list are from the Florida, the only state to boast two winners. Keys Fisheries Market and Marina of Marathon earned the No. 6 spot and Joe Patti’s Seafood Company of Pensacola was named No. 3. Coastal Living Magazine features sections that focus on homes, travel, food and living on the coast, often citing favorite destinations, restaurants and beaches. The article can be found online at:www.coastalliving.com/coastal/travel/bestofthecoast/article/0,14587,1173005-1,00.html.
Florida Seafood Marketing Materials Available
Whether you are a retail market or consumer, you are able to order recipe brochures on the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing’s web site or through bureau marketing representatives. Available items include finfish and shellfish posters, multiple seafood recipes in English and Spanish, wild-caught shrimp posters, blue crab posters, clam posters, seafood quality handbooks and videos, ice picks and more. The bureau has recently re-stocked many items and most orders can be shipped the same day they are placed. Images may also be downloaded in PDF form and printed.
Consumers can order items at:
app2.fl-seafood.com/pubs/pubform/Publications2.aspx.
Seafood retailers can order items in bulk at:
www.fl-seafood.com/industry/fapc_retail.htm.
Retail markets wanting to order brochures should be current Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign (FAPC) members. Membership is available at no additional charge to all restaurants and retail markets that sell/serve Florida seafood. Applications are available online at: www.fl-seafood.com/industry/fapc.htm.
For more information on FAPC, or to place a telephone order for marketing materials, contact the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing at (850) 488-0163.
Opportunity for Seafood Exporters
If you’re looking for new markets, you may want to consider Israel. Sixty percent of Israel’s seafood is imported and the demand is growing. According to the USDA, Israel’s growing interest in seafood has resulted from increased household income, concerns about health and the growing number of Soviet Union immigrants who prefer more seafood in their diets. For more information about this potential opportunity, contact Gilad Shachar at the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. Embassy, telephone 011-972-3-5197324 or email Gilad.Shachar@USDA.GOV.Jacksonville SYSCO Food Show
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing staff attended the Sysco Food Show in Jacksonville in April. They offered attendees information on Florida seafood and aquaculture while distributing brochures and recipes.
43RD Annual Isle Of 8 Flags Shrimp Festival
Celebrating 100 years of the “birth” of the shrimping industry, bureau marketing staff attended the annual Shrimp Festival in Fernandina Beach the first weekend in May. Always well attended, a crowd of 150,000 was on hand this year. Employees staffed a booth offering information on Florida’s seafood as well as brochures, recipes, and T-shirts. The festival is well-known for its delicious food with Florida wild-caught shrimp being the “specialty,” and hundreds of booths: antiques, arts and crafts. The 43rd annual Isles of 8 Flags Shrimp Festival continued the tradition of showcasing and supporting Florida shrimpers and celebrating Florida wild-caught shrimp.
Panama Blue Crab Festival
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing participated in the Panacea Blue Crab Festival on May 6. Brochures and posters of locally caught seafood were distributed at the event and also provided to the Panacea Welcome Center for distribution to area visitors. As a sponsor for the event, the "Fresh from Florida" logo was prominently displayed on local billboards and the large event sign located next to the stage. Bureau personnel assisted in judging the crab-picking contest.
Clam Informational Fair
Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing staff attended the Clam Informational Fair in mid-June in Cedar Key. Various state and federal agencies sent representatives who work with the clam farming industry in Dixie and Levy counties where they were invited to interact with clam industry members. Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing showcased the POP materials they have produced related to the clam industry.
Clamerica
Cedar Key will host its third annual Clamerica celebration on July 4, 2006, at City Park. Clamerica will showcase and celebrate Florida clams. The local clams will be prepared in many delicious ways at various food booths. Family events are planned all day with live music in the park and a spectacular fireworks display to end the evening. Bureau marketing staff will host a booth and offer to the public information on Florida seafood and aquaculture, distribute brochures and recipes, provide a cooking demo of Clam Scampi, and help judge recipes in the clam recipe contest.
