Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America Expo Today 2023 Issue

BOSTON BECKONS

INDUSTRY MEETS AGAIN AT NORTH AMERICA’S LEADING SEAFOOD EXPO

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Madelyn Kearns

Editorial Project Manager, SeafoodSource

Fancy meeting you here.

Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America has arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. for its 41st edition with even more exhibit space to explore than last year.

The event, which serves as a premier meeting-spot in North America for the global seafood community, returns in 2023 with over 25 percent more exhibit space to enjoy compared to 2022, according to the expo’s organizer Diversified Communications at time of publication.

“It is very exciting to see such significant growth of the event. It is a testament to how much the industry values the opportunities the in-person expo provides for their business,” Diversified Communications Event Director Wynter Courmont said.

Familiar faces and new ones are expected to be in attendance at this year’s event. Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, and Papua New Guinea are among the new participating exhibiting countries in 2023. New pavilions courtesy of Australia, Denmark, Papua New Guinea, and Poland have also been added to the mix. And, now that pandemic travel restrictions have relaxed, China is back at the expo with a notable presence. These entities join a bustling exhibit hall of seafood and processing companies offering a variety of fresh, frozen, canned, value-added, processed, and packaged seafood products, as well as processing and packaging equipment, logistics, and other service providers.

In addition to an expanded exhibit hall, the 2023 expo features an educational conference program comprised of more than 30 sessions covering the most relevant topics and trends in the seafood industry today, from inflation and consumption habits to supply-chain disruptions and processing advancements. For the thrill-seekers among us, there’s the Annual Oyster Shucking Competition and the Seafood Excellence Awards announcement, where you can watch skilled shuckers and product developers face off for some of the expo’s top honors.

This year’s event has much to offer you, as does the Expo Today you have in your hands. Flip through for stories detailing some of the major industry themes expected to play out as we move through 2023, as well as exhibitor listings, complimentary shuttle services information, a Boston dining guide, an event map, and more.

As always, SeafoodSource’s editorial staff will be traversing the expo floor, covering Seafood Expo North America 2023 from every angle. Come visit with our team at Booth #1404 – the ultimate destination for sharing story leads, business cards, and friendly chats. If you haven’t already, make sure you navigate to SeafoodSource.com and subscribe to our free daily e-newsletters, so you don’t miss any expo scoops.

May your next three days be filled with fond reunions, lucrative business deals, seafood product inspiration, and oodles of fun!

– Maddie Editorial Project Manager, SeafoodSource

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Cliff White cwhite@divcom.com

EDITORIAL PROJECT MANAGER

Madelyn Kearns mkearns@divcom.com

EDITOR

Chris Chase cchase@divcom.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Bhavana Scalia-Bruce bscaliabruce@divcom.com

ADVERTISING SPECIALIST Kathleen Montana kmontana@divcom.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Theresa Slusher @seafoodsource seafoodsource @seafood_source

Published by Diversified Communications

Producer of : Seafood Expo North America/ Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/ Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia, SeafoodSource

Publisher of : National Fisherman, WorkBoat

Theodore Wirth President/CEO

Mary Larkin President, Diversified USA

Liz Plizga

Group Vice President, Seafood

Mary Fowler Sales Manager, SeafoodSource

Heidi Weeks Sales, SeafoodSource

Katherine Shagoury Digital Product Director, SeafoodSource

Kelcey George Marketing Manager, SeafoodSource

Joshua Hodges Marketing Coordinator, SeafoodSource

Diversified Communications 121 Free Street, P.O. Box 7438 Portland, Maine 04112-7438

Ph: (207) 842-5500

Fax: (207) 842-5505 divcom.com

Copyright© 2023 Diversified Communications

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

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03 WELCOME LETTER 08 SPECIAL EVENTS

2023 ISSUE

INFLATION,

48

18

10 Salmon stars in 2022 Seafood Excellence Award-winning products

24 Cutting-edge seafood, processing innovations to track down at the expo

32 Sustainable seafood packaging innovations winning over eco-conscious consumers

60 U.S. government eyeing seafood shake-ups

IN MEMORIAM

68

LISA WALLENDA PICARD

SUSTAINABILITY TRENDS

Cutting through the complexity of climate change: 4 essential strategies for a healthy, resilient seafood industry

E XPO TODAY 2023 / B ROUGHT TO YOU BY SEAFOODSOURCE 6

66

*NOTE: Schedule is subject to change. Please check the mobile app for updates & more!

The Seafood Marketplace for

SPECIAL EVENTS

SUNDAY, March 12 FREE TO ATTEND

TIME LOCATIONEVENT

10:00am – 5:00pm Booths 3404, 3405 New Product Showcase and Featured Product Showcase

10:00am - 5:00pm Booth 3433

Empowerment Lounge: Free Professional Headshots and Free Individual Coaching Sessions focused on your digital brand, productivity and life-changing habits & your mental well-being

11:00am – 12:15pm Room 153AB Keynote : Economic Update for 2023 – Where Are We Headed?

1:15pm – 2:00pm

Room 155

1:30pm – 1:50pm

3:30pm

4:00pm – 4:20pm

Empowerment Lounge, Booth 3433

Demonstration Theater, Booth 3365

Empowerment Lounge, Booth 3433

Presented by: Megan Greene, Global Economist, Global Economist, Kroll Institute

SPONSORED PRESENTATION: Seafood Shouldn’t Threaten Ocean Wildlife: How the Seafood Industry Can Restore Populations of Endangered Species – Moderator: Jim Cannon, SFP

HUDDLE SESSION: Power your Brain: 5 Productivity Apps You Can’t Live Without – Moderator: Tess Vismale

Seafood Excellence Awards Announcement

The Seafood Excellence Awards recognize and celebrate the best new products in the North American seafood market. Find out who the winners of these two prestigious award categories will be: Best New Retail Product and Best New Foodservice Product

HUDDLE SESSION: Power your Being with 5 Meditation Techniques to Increase Your Focus – Moderator: Keri Kelly

MONDAY, March 13 FREE TO ATTEND

10:00am – 5:00pm Booths 3404, 3405 New Product Showcase and Featured Product Showcase

10:00am – 5:00pm Booth 3433

9:15am – 10:00am Room 155

9:15am – 10:00am Room 151B

11:00pm – 12:00pm

12:30pm – 1:30pm

1:30pm – 1:50pm

2:30pm

4:00pm – 4:20pm

Demonstration Theater, Booth 3365

Demonstration Theater, Booth 3365

Empowerment Lounge, Booth 3433

Demonstration Theater, Booth 3365

Empowerment Lounge, Booth 3433

Empowerment Lounge: Free Professional Headshots and Free Individual Coaching Sessions focused on your digital brand, productivity and life-changing habits & your mental well-being

SPONSORED PRESENTATION:

Benefits of High Pressure Processing (HPP) for Seafood – Speaker: Dr. Errol Raghubeer

SPONSORED PRESENTATION:

Advancing Costs Associated with Responsible Practices into Product Value – Speaker: Frank Terzoli, ERS Solutions

Chef Demonstration: Communicating the deliciousness and safety of Japanese marine products – Presented by: Mr. Hirotoshi Ogawa

Chef Demonstration: At-Home Seafood Boil with Crab, Shrimp, Corn and Potatoes – Presented by: Yasmin Curtis

HUDDLE SESSION:

Power your Brain: How Many Tabs Do You Have Open? – Moderator: Tess Vismale

15th Annual Oyster Shucking Competition: Take a front row seat to see who will be the fastest shucker in the East!

HUDDLE SESSION:

Power your Being with 5 Quick Stretches – Moderator: Keri Kelly

TUESDAY, March 14 FREE TO ATTEND

10:00am – 3:00pm Booths 3404, 3405 New Product Showcase and Featured Product Showcase

10:00am – 3:00pm Booth 3433

Empowerment Lounge: Free Professional Headshots and Free Individual Coaching Sessions focused on your digital brand, productivity and life-changing habits & your mental well-being

SALMON STARS IN 2022 SEAFOOD EXCELLENCE AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTS

BY BHAVANA SCALIA-BRUCE

TWO COMPANIES won big at the 2022 Seafood Excellence Awards, an industry innovation competition – held annually during Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. – that seeks to recognize the “Best New Retail Product” and “Best New Foodservice Product” to hit the market each year.

Last year’s winners, DOM International Limited and Bakkafrost, were selected from a group of 11 finalists by an esteemed panel of judges comprised of seafood buyers and industry experts.

Scarborough, Ontario, Canada-based DOM International Limited was awarded the “Best New Retail Product” for its Salmon Poke. The prize-winning poke product comes in a frozen format, the company noted, and is available in 625-gram and 200-gram packages.

“Each individual package comes pre-prepared and perfectly portioned with our classic Atlantic salmon marinated using our favorite Hawaiian inspired sauce for your enjoyment,” according to DOM International.

DOM International Owner Domenic Porporo told SeafoodSource in 2022 that the Salmon Poke product had been on the company’s development radar for several years.

“It’s gone through different variations… then we thought, the important part is the salmon,” Porporo said. “So, we decided, well, let’s just do the salmon and let everybody else fix it and eat it the way they want it. We’ve been really focusing hard on new products. We have a whole slew of ideas and now it’s just trying to get them to a position where we can just pull the trigger on them.”

The company has also launched a tuna poke product in addition to its salmon variation. Since winning the Seafood Excellence honor in 2022, Porporo said the popularity of DOM International’s poke has only increased.

“We haven’t been able to keep up with demand,” Porporo recently told SeafoodSource. He added that the

WINNERS

company has no plans as of now to expand internationally, and is continuing to focus on domestic markets.

Faroe Islands-based salmon producer Bakkafrost, meanwhile, was recognized for its Native Hebridean Smoked Scottish Salmon Side, which won “Best New Foodservice Product” at the 2022 Seafood Excellence Awards.

“It’s totally unique because it’s salmon that smoked from our native Hebridean fish, which are originally from wild rootstock from the Hebridean Islands, right on the northwest of Scotland,” Bakkafrost Scotland Communications and New Business Development Director Su Cox said in 2022, fresh off of the win.

The Native Hebridean Salmon is cured and smoked using a traditional island recipe. Bakkafrost uses pebblelined kilns and wood shavings from aged whisky barrels in its preparation process to add a unique taste of the Scottish Hebridean Islands, Cox said.

“We now farm-raise these and process and smoke them locally. And the smoking process is also very special. The Hebridean salmon smokes beautifully because it’s firm, not oily, and you get good consistent colors,” she said.

2022 Seafood Excellence Awards finalists in the foodservice category included Bakkafrost, Handy Seafood, Netuno USA, and Seagrove Kelp Co. The finalists for the retail category were DOM International Limited, Neptune Snacks, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Pacific Seafood, Pescanova USA, and Kitchens Seafood Inc. The finalists were selected from a group of more than 40 products.

This year’s Seafood Excellence Awards will be announced on Sunday, 12 March, 2023 at the Demonstration Theater in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. All finalists’ and winners’ products will be on display in the New Product Showcase for the three-day duration of Seafood Expo North America/ Seafood Processing North America.

2022 BEST NEW RETAIL PRODUCT

2022 BEST NEW FOODSERVICE PRODUCT

INFLATION, SUPPLY-CHAIN ISSUES STILL SHAPING SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION TRENDS IN 2023

BY MADELYN KEARNS

ECONOMIC OBSTACLES related to record-high inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic left seafood suppliers, retailers, and foodservice operators contending with labor shortages and a myriad of other supply-chain hurdles throughout 2022. Consumers, too, were feeling the tension all year long as they grappled with rising food and gas prices.

All told, Americans’ seafood purchasing habits have been undeniably altered over the past year, FMI – The Food Industry Association Vice President of Fresh Foods Rick Stein told SeafoodSource.

“In 2022, inflation and supply-chain issues caused seafood shoppers to change their habits,” Stein said. “Higher prices at both the seafood department and at restaurants caused many shoppers to leave the category entirely. However, we expect this trend to change, particularly for the grocery seafood department.”

Recent data from IRI and 210 Analytics indicates that consumer worries about inflation remain elevated at the start of the new year, 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink said.

“Most consumers are aware of and concerned about inflation,” she told SeafoodSource, adding that 94 percent of American shoppers surveyed by IRI and 210 Analytics in December 2022 revealed they are still paying somewhat or “a lot more for groceries.”

Of the surveyed consumers who noted higher prices, 97 percent said they are concerned about the level of inflation, Roerink added. IRI and 210 Analytics also found that 30 percent of American households had difficulty affording needed groceries as of December 2022. Additionally, 43 percent of Americans told the surveyors that they expected their financial situation to be worse off by December 2023, with 38 percent of households saying their financial health is currently strained.

For the year ending on 1 January, 2023, both fresh and frozen seafood sales at retail experienced declines, with the former falling 8.2 percent to USD 6.5 billion (EUR 6 billion) and the latter dipping 2.9 percent to around USD 7.1 billion (EUR 6.6 billion), per IRI and 210 Analytics. On the other hand, the analytics firms noted that shelf-stable seafood had a banner year in 2022, experiencing a 5.6 percent sales surge to around USD 2.67 billion (EUR 2.5 billion).

While sales have dropped over the short-term, in the longer scheme of things, Stein said seafood’s performance at retail is tracking quite strong.

“In general, seafood department sales increased over the long-term. If we look at seafood sales numbers against pre-pandemic numbers, it’s a great story. However, when we look at seafood sales numbers against the previous years – 2020 and 2021 – the category is down. This is an effect of having such high sales in 2020 and 2021,” Stein said.

Both Stein and IRI predict that total food inflation will begin to taper down in 2023.

“Meat and seafood inflation have been trending lower than total Food and Beverage and IRI expects them to continue lower,” IRI Executive Vice President, Americas Protein Practice Leader Chris DuBois said in January 2023.

Stein said that the lessons learned over the course of the pandemic provide a solid foundation that will help ease recovery as inflation starts to dissipate this year.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery seafood departments saw an increase in sales and volume. This was in part because shoppers were eating most of their meals at home and many consumers who typically enjoyed seafood dishes out at restaurants took to cooking seafood meals at home. Because of this, many shoppers increased their culinary skill set

and we saw an increase in the number of frequent seafood shoppers (two or more times a week),” he said. “As inflation lessens and supply chains re-align, we expect shoppers who learned all those great seafood culinary skills to come back to the department seeking healthy and affordable seafood options.”

Restaurants’ rough road persists

Soaring food and labor costs have taken a toll on U.S. restaurant operators and their optimism.

According to an August 2022 National Restaurant Association (NRA) survey, 46 percent of U.S. restaurant operators said they believed business conditions were worse over the summer than they had been three months prior. Most of the survey’s respondents (85 percent) said their restaurants were less profitable in 2022 than they were in 2019, and 88 percent said their total food and beverage costs were higher than three years ago. The rising costs have had a multi-pronged impact on menus, the survey found, with 91 percent of restaurant operators upping their menu prices and 65 percent changing the dishes they offer because of financial strain.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics for December 2022 showed a 8.3 percent year-over-year hike in prices for food away from home for the month, as well as a sales drop of 0.9 percent to USD 88.3 billion (EUR 82 billion) from November to December last year.

A majority of U.S. foodservice operations participating in the NRA’s year-end Business Conditions survey highlighted higher food costs (92 percent) and labor costs (89 percent) as significant challenges they’re facing. Because of these pressures and others, 50 percent of the operators said they expected to make less profit in 2023, the survey found. To manage higher costs, restaurants have increased

menu prices (89 percent), changed their menus (59 percent), reduced hours (48 percent), postponed expansion plans (38 percent), closed on days they would normally be open (32 percent), cut back on third-party delivery (13 percent), and postponed new hiring (19 percent), according to the NRA survey.

Wallet woes have also vexed diners.

“Inflation is pressuring restaurant trips,” Roerink said, with 71 percent of consumers buying restaurant meals less often, per 210 Analytics.

“Consumers are not skipping restaurants as much as they are being more strategic about it,” Roerink added.

A recent Acosta shopper insights survey found that 61 percent of Americans admitted to eating out less often. Furthermore, Acosta said around 50 percent of consumers surveyed believed that the U.S. was in a recession.

“Over the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in dining in restaurants, but it’s still not back to pre-pandemic levels,” Acosta said in its survey overview. “And now, with inflation and other economic factors, there will be a struggle to get there this year.”

Nevertheless, there are glimmers of hope for the foodservice realm for 2023. In its “What’s Hot 2023 Culinary Forecast,” the NRA identified pent-up demand among Americans for gathering together and dining out, with 70 percent of the survey’s 500 professional chefs sharing the sentiment that consumers crave inrestaurant experiences for socialization, celebration, and culinary exploration.

“Moderate, but positive employment growth across the economy and elevated consumer spending in restaurants will allow the restaurant industry to kick off 2023 on a more optimistic note than the last few years, but operators remain braced for potential challenges in the new year,” NRA Senior Vice President of Research Hudson Riehle said.

– NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION

RISING COSTS HAD A MULTI-PRONGED IMPACT ON MENUS IN 2022

91% OF RESTAURANT OPERATORS UPPED THEIR MENU PRICES

OF RESTAURANTS CHANGED THE DISHES THEY OFFER BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL STRAIN

Profiling the seafood shoppers of today

There are certain drivers of seafood consumption that remain consistent over the long run, specifically price and convenience. Amid inflationary times, however, price’s influence has become even more powerful, FMI’s Stein noted.

“Again, inflation played a big role in shoppers’ habits in all departments, including seafood, in 2022. It’s interesting to note that shoppers didn’t just buy less seafood at the grocery store, but also purchased less seafood at restaurants. This tells me that the price-point was really at play here and that once inflation lessens, we’re likely to see seafood shoppers return to the department,” he said. “And since many of those shoppers have increased knowledge about seafood options and preparation, they will likely return to grocery seafood departments more quickly. Again, if we look at the fiveyear trend of seafood department sales, we are still selling an upward trend. One unique characteristic is that we are seeing older millennials leaving this category. We still need to do more research to understand why, but we believe it is due to inflation.”

Wellness and sustainability have become more prominent in driving consumption as of late, Stein noted.

“The fact that consumers are still cooking more at home plays into the upside for the seafood department. In addition, there are two trends that are likely to carry over for the seafood department – health and well-being and sustainability,” Stein said. “The pandemic made shoppers laser-focused on health and well-being and I think this trend is likely to continue for some time. The Dietary Guidelines generally recommend that consumers eat seafood at least twice a week and this recommendation is likely to continue to drive consumers to the category.”

Several recent studies remark on an expanding group of consumers who are using their wallets to take control of their impact on climate change. One such report, released by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in late September 2022, calls this group of environmentally-conscious consumers ‘climatarians,’ and after a “summer of life-threatening heat waves, extreme storms, unprecedented flooding, and other weather events

exacerbated by climate change,” they’re a brand of shopper that’s expected to stick around.

“These conscious consumers aim to shop for products that meet their personal environmental values, and a growing group of shoppers strive to be ‘climatarian’ in their decision-making,” MSC said.

In its Power of Seafood 2022 report, FMI observed more shoppers choosing seafood for sustainability reasons in 2021, with 38 percent of surveyed consumers admitting they chose the protein more often than others because they saw it as environmentally-friendly or sustainable in general.

“Half of seafood consumers (50 percent) say sustainability claims or certifications have a major impact on their purchase decisions,” FMI said.

Stein agreed that “sustainability is often on the minds of consumers these days,” however, “many shoppers are not sure what terms like farm-raised, wildcaught, and aquaculture mean and what the sustainability pros and cons of each method might be.”

“This gives retailers and suppliers an opportunity to better educate shoppers about seafood sustainability traits,” he said. “We hear from consumers about the need for enhanced education in the seafood departments. Shoppers want to know about the different species, preparation techniques, nutrition information, and more. A highly knowledgeable seafood staff will continue to be a strong strategy for a seafood department’s growth and to develop shopper loyalty. Customers are starved for cooking ideas and meal planning, so any way the seafood department can help consumers meet their meal solution needs in the seafood department will help sales and build return shoppers.”

Looking deeper into 2023, Stein said inflation and supply-chain disruptions will likely continue to dominate headlines for a bit.

“I think inflation will continue to impact the entire food industry, not just seafood. Supply-chain disruptions are another factor likely to continue to play out,” he said. “To hear more, join us at our SENA session about the 2023 Power of Seafood report on Sunday, 12 March at 3:30 p.m. EST. We’ll share the latest findings from the research and offer insights into shoppers’ seafood buying habits.”

“Half of seafood consumers say sustainability claims or certifications have a major impact on their purchase decisions.”

– THE FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

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SHRIMP FARMING TAKING OFF IN THE U.S.

BY CLIFF WHITE

FOR YEARS, the U.S. shrimp-farming sector has struggled to compete against low-cost shrimp imported from mega-producing nations including India, Indonesia, and Ecuador. But buoyed by consumption figures showing shrimp is pulling away as America’s favorite type of seafood –with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reporting the average American ate more than five pounds of shrimp annually in 2020 – new shrimp-farming projects of all shapes and sizes are cropping up across the country, from small and large recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in California and Florida to traditional pond aquaculture in Texas.

Perhaps making the biggest waves in shrimp aquaculture in 2022 was Atarraya, a start-up tech company based in Mexico City, Mexico, known for developing the Shrimpbox. Essentially a shipping container that has been converted into a small commercial shrimp farm, the Shrimpbox requires minimal water exchange and contains an automated feeding system and biofloc waste-removal system, minimizing the work involved in farming shrimp in the unit while eliminating the need for using antibiotics and

chemicals. It also relies on artificial intelligence that can remotely monitor water quality and regulate water temperature and oxygenation.

“Shrimpbox is more than a cargo container. It is a technological system designed to create life,” Atarraya Founder and CEO Daniel Russek said. “With automated systems and software capable of learning and making decisions, this piece of engineering has the potential to help aquaculture take its biggest step forward in decades.”

Even though only two prototypes have been built thus far, Atarraya has raised more than USD 10 million (EUR 9.16 million) since it was founded, including funding from some high-profile tech investors. The company’s first farm, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A., recently opened for training and demonstration, in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. And Atarraya is preparing to launch an earlyadopter program to include companies in niche

markets as it seeks to maximize early returns and prove that practically anyone can become a shrimp farmer.

“The main benefit for them is that Shrimpbox is very easy to operate. They don’t need to learn aquaculture, just how to maintain the Shrimpbox. We think of it like a big Tamagotchi,” Atarraya Marketing Manager Mariana Madrigal said. “After these first adopters, we will turn to farmers in different industries like hog, poultry, and crops. We want Shrimpbox to be an attractive alternative for income and farm diversification.”

Homegrown Shrimp, a RAS shrimp farm being developed by Bangkok, Thailand-based food giant Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) in Indiantown, Florida, U.S.A., is taking a radically different approach than Atarraya. With a pilot farm now in operation, CP Foods eventually wants to grow homegrown shrimp so that it operates a hatchery and farm capable of producing up to 720 metric tons of the species annually.

CP Foods Executive Vice President Robins McIntosh said the COVID-19 crisis caused an “unprecedented disruption in the global food supply chain,” prompting a reduction in international trade in shrimp and forcing countries to rely on their own domestic production to fulfill demand.

After a long fallow period, commercial-scale shrimp farming appears to be taking off in the United States.

McIntosh said he believes this shift has been leading to countries increasing trade barriers to protect their domestic markets, opening up an opportunity to feed Americans with “home-grown” shrimp.

“Our objective is to provide local markets with the highest quality fresh shrimp year-round using a near-zero water exchange system,” McIntosh said. “In addition to shrimp for consumption, we will be operating a small hatchery to supply post larvae to the U.S.A. and European markets.”

In the U.S. shrimp-growing hub of Texas, Trans American Aquaculture is seeking to rehabilitate and reactivate an 1,880-acre shrimp farm shuttered for more than a decade. Located in Rio Hondo, Texas, U.S.A. in the Rio Grande Valley, the farm was purchased in 2017 by the Granda family – transplants from Ecuador with a long history in shrimp farming. According to Trans American Chairman and CEO Adam Thomas, who is married to a member of the Granda family, the company is now looking for funding to convert the purchase from its current set-up as a shrimp genetics research facility into a commerciallyproductive farm.

“Where we are in the southernmost part of Texas, we’re able to do two full cycles of shrimp harvests per year. We’re in our fifth and sixth generations of genetic lines right now. We feel it’s really a good time for us to start to tap into the public markets to get the funding for the growth that we’re looking to achieve over the next few years to really take the farm into full-bore production,” Thomas said.

To facilitate its public listing, Trans American conducted a reverse merger with a publicly traded company, allowing it to tap into a larger source of funding. Thomas said the company is seeking an initial USD 2 million (EUR 1.9 million) investment that will see it through its first harvest on half of the farm’s acreage. From there, the firm will need another USD 5 million (EUR 4.6 million) to expand into the southern 650 acres of the farm and complete intensification and equipment upgrades. That should get the farm to 11 million to 12 million pounds of production annually, Thomas said.

“I can sell [our total estimated production] to any of a number of distributors. I’ve had contacts who have said that they will buy everything we have up to two million pounds – that’s been two independent distributors. So that gave us

places – Illinois and Iowa and Minnesota. I haven’t seen anybody compile a list, but it’s somewhere around 50 projects in the United States operating at various levels where people are farm-raising marine shrimp in some sort of tank-based indoor system,” he said.

There’s a solid economic foundation to the idea that shrimp farming can succeed in the U.S., Wyban said.

confidence to go full-bore on this project,” Thomas said. “With HEB specifically, you say it’s from Texas and they want it. I think they’ll buy pretty much all the farmed shrimp that they can get their hands from the state of Texas. With Whole Foods, it’s a step above in terms of quality, but that’s a potential opportunity as well, because we use [Best Aquaculture Practices-certified] feed from Cargill and there’s no live animal products in it.”

Jim Wyban, a shrimp researcher and owner of Kurtistown, Hawaii, U.S.A.based consultancy Marine Genetics LLC, is bullish on the future of the U.S. shrimp industry.

“The big thing that’s happening right now that’s interesting to me is an increase in indoor, controlled environment, high-density shrimp aquaculture. There are quite a few people doing that in the United States in all kinds of crazy

“The U.S. market for shrimp is almost insatiable. The argument can be made that if you farm-raise the animals closer to the big markets, you’ll eliminate the carbon footprint from global shipping and can deliver a fresh product to these local markets. There are a lot of people trying to do that –but to date, very few of them have cracked the code of how to do that and scale it,” he said. “They may be able to do four little tanks of shrimp and sell them at a farmer’s market for USD 20 [EUR 18] a pound to their community and that works, but the larger market is not going to pay those kinds of prices. They’ll have to come closer to the price of the obvious competition, which is imported shrimp from the global supply. There’s a sort of tension there between which of these small or not-so-small projects is going to break through and actually crack the code of that intensive, controlled-environment style farming to service the much larger market in the United States – a couple billion pounds a year in consumption.”

Wyban noted that the varied shrimp-farming start-ups cropping up around the country are evidence to him technology now exists to make a domestic industry feasible.

“There’s no question that these companies can do the production, [with the] kind of state-of-the-art production… being done in lots of places,” Wyban said. “But the economics of it is the fundamental question. People are starting to invest in this space, but the economics of it all remains to be seen. The RAS technology has not really been proven at scale, both technically and economically. It will be very interesting to watch this unfold, but we’re on the brink of it. I believe someone will crack that code soon.”

– ROBINS MCINTOSH, CHAROEN POKPHAND FOODS

MARCH 11-14, 2023 | BOSTON, MA

HOTEL SHUTTLE INFORMATION

Aloft Boston Seaport

Boston Harbor Hotel

Boston Marriott Copley Place

Boston Marriott Long Wharf

Boston Park Plaza Hotel

Colonnade Boston

Copley Square Hotel

Courtyard Boston Copley Square

Courtyard Boston Downtown

DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Boston

Element Boston Seaport

Embassy Suites Boston - Logan Airport

Envoy Hotel, Autograph Collection

Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston

Four Seasons One Dalton

Godfrey Hotel Boston

Hampton Inn Boston Seaport

Hilton Boston Back Bay

Hilton Boston Downtown - Faneuil Hall

Homewood Suites Boston Seaport

Hotel AKA Back Bay

Hyatt Place Boston Seaport District

Hyatt Regency Boston

InterContinental Boston

Langham Hotel

Moxy Boston

Omni Boston Seaport

Omni Parker House

Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel

Revere Hotel Boston Common

Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common

Seaport Hotel

Sheraton Boston Hotel

W Boston

Westin Boston Seaport District

Westin Copley Place YOTEL

Walking Distance to BCEC

Front Entrance, Curbside on Atlantic Ave.

Front Entrance, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

Front Entrance, Outer Driveway

Columbus Ave. Entrance

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

Front Entrance on Tremont St.

At Courtyard Downtown, Front Entrance on Tremont St.

Walking Distance to BCEC

Front Entrance Curbside

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

Corner of Ave. de Lafayette & Harrison Ave.

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

Broad St. Entrance

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Columbus Ave. Entrance

Walking Distance to BCEC

Corner of Ave. de Lafayette & Harrison Ave.

Front Entrance, Curbside on Atlantic Ave.

Franklin St. Entrance

At Courtyard Downtown, Front Entrance on Tremont St.

Walking Distance to BCEC

Tremont St. Entrance

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Courtyard Downtown, Front Entrance on Tremont St.

Corner of Ave. de Lafayette & Harrison Ave.

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

At Courtyard Downtown, Front Entrance on Tremont St.

Walking Distance to BCEC

At Marriott Copley, Curbside on Huntington Ave.

Walking Distance to BCEC

CUTTING-EDGE SEAFOOD, PROCESSING INNOVATIONS TO TRACK DOWN AT THE EXPO

BY MADELYN KEARNS

Those in search of the seafood industry’s latest and greatest products, equipment, and software need look no further than Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America.

Each year, the leading industry event for the North American seafood marketplace brings the sector’s top creatives together under one vast roof to share their inventions, and 2023 is no exception. Here is a sampling of this year’s exhibiting seafood suppliers and processors making a splash with their innovative offerings.

BEAVER STREET FISHERIES

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA,

U.S.A.-BASED supplier Beaver Street Fisheries introduced a new boil-in-a-bag product, Steamer Pot, to its Sea Best Seafood Festival line in November 2022.

The frozen offering “addresses a consumer demand for moreinteresting seafood options that are easy to prepare at home,” the company said.

The new Steamer Pot features Best Aquaculture Practices-certified shrimp, cold-water lobster claws, as well as clams and mussels. Each three-pound, resealable bag retails for a suggested USD 24.99 (EUR 25.64).

“Research has shown that consumers are hungry for great seafood meals at home that replicate what they would enjoy in a restaurant. This line delivers that along with great pre-seasoned, ready-to-cook seafood that is super-easy to prepare,” Beaver Street Fisheries Director of Marketing Bluzette Carline said.

The Sea Best range also includes Shrimp & Crab Pot, which was initially rolled out in 2018 and consists of a traditional-style seafood mix of shrimp, snow crab, and mussels.

“Sea Best continues to explore new and exciting seafood options that are not only flavorful, but also simple to prepare as a meal,” Beaver Street Director of Research and Development Leann Millette said. •

BRISTOL SEAFOOD

PORTLAND, MAINE, U.S.A.-BASED supplier Bristol

Seafood transitioned “a significant portion of its wholesale packaging to reusable containers” in August 2022, with help from its partners Hannaford and Tosca.

“Sustainability is a foundational part of Bristol. Our transition away from polystyrene began ten years ago, starting with waxed corrugate, then to recyclable cardboard, and today with reusable packaging,” Bristol Seafood Vice President of Sales and Marketing Iréne Moon said. “As we continue to focus on minimizing our environmental footprint while we grow our business, we see reusable packaging as the next logical step. We are grateful for Hannaford’s ongoing enthusiasm and partnership in our sustainability initiatives and for Tosca’s work to support this supply chain.”

Hannaford Category Manager Nathan Jewell said the retailer sources and sells “only sustainably raised, fished, and harvested seafood, and all our seafood comes with a double money back quality guarantee.”

“We’re proud to work with Bristol and Tosca to bring reusable packaging and shipping totes to the seafood we provide in our fresh service cases, and this work will help us to enhance the sustainability of our seafood program,” Jewell added.

In addition to its new packing protocol, Bristol has also expanded its My Fish Dish range with My Fish Dish Spicy Ginger Butter Shrimp. The ready-to-cook meal is brimming with “sophisticated flavor,” the company said, and features Peruvian white all-natural sustainable shrimp with a togarashi seasoning and ginger garlic butter. It is skin-packed on a black tray, and contains no antibiotics and no additives in the shrimp, Bristol said. The offering comes in a slack and sell format with five days of shelf-life. •

DISCOVER THE BEST OF Chilean Seafood

Chilean seafood is a healthy food with a high protein and nutrient content, as it has omega 3 and many important vitamins.

The aquaculture and fishing industry from Chile deliver safe products to consume. These are well known for their high-quality production, delicious flavors, and their memorable cooking dishes which are enjoyed all around the world.

MULTI X

MULTI X is based in Puerto Montt, Chile, with its U.S. office located in Miami. The importer of fresh, frozen, and smoked Atlantic salmon rolled out the first 100 percent CarbonNeutral Certified Chilean Salmon into the U.S. market in January 2023.

The CarbonNeutral D-trim frozen fillets are currently available in the U.S. and will have their official debut

at Seafood Expo North America 2023, the company said. The firm worked with The Climate Impact Partners, an independent third-party, to achieve the CarbonNeutral Product Certification.

“In addition to our zero waste to landfill, already achieved in 2020 in our processing plants, our 100 percent CarbonNeutral product provides retailers the opportunity to place sustainable options on shelves for shoppers. Consumer trends place environmental impacts on the foods they eat as relevant drivers for their buying decisions. By buying our 100 percent CarbonNeutral certified products, consumers are helping develop local communities and increasing green energy infrastructures in addition to their impact on the environment. When Multi X Salmon reaches the dinner table, families can feel confident their meal is making a difference in taking care of our planet,” Multi X Sales and Marketing Officer Fernando Pérez said.

Multi X Human Resources, Sustainability, and Corporate Affairs Officer Francisco Lobos added that the firm is “launching a new line of products according to our purpose of nourishing the future, caring for the world.”

“Multi X continues to work on CarbonNeutral certification for other product lines, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030,” Lobos said. •

TRUE NORTH SEAFOOD

CUTLER COVE SALMON

– a premium salmon brand launched by Cooke Aquaculture’s True North Seafood in October 2022 – is “one of the best ocean-raised Atlantic salmon in America, straight from the heart of Maine,” according to a promotional video. Available on a limited basis in fillets and portions through Baldor Specialty Food in New York City; Harbor Fish in Portland, Maine; and Taylor Lobster in Kittery, Maine, Cutler Cove Salmon fillets and portions are optimized for the U.S. market, True North Vice President of Marketing Jill Cronk said.

“Cutler Cove Salmon is our premier salmon offering in the U.S. market,” Cronk told SeafoodSource. “We know from our market research that seafood consumers are interested in salmon that is Product of U.S.A., raised without the use of antibiotics, fresh [and] never frozen, and [Best Aquaculture Practices] four-star certified. Cooke Aquaculture USA is the only producer of ocean-raised, Atlantic salmon in the U.S. market, so we were already wellpositioned to produce salmon that meets all these criteria. Cutler Cove Salmon is raised and harvested in Maine, shipped in recyclable packaging, and transported by

TIVE

truck. We created the Cutler Cove Salmon brand to help our customer base, from home cooks, to chefs, and upscale retailers, easily identify the salmon that has all these key features.”

Baldor Specialty Foods, which serves approximately 5,000 restaurants in the U.S. Northeast on a daily basis, has been carrying the premium product since May 2022, Kevin Lindgren, the company’s director of merchandising, said.

“Baldor has done business with Cooke, buying their smoked salmon, for at least the past 10 years, and [eventually] expanding to frozen salmon under the True North label. Our sales rep learned what we were looking for, how we were trying to grow the category, and gave us the opportunity with the Cutler Cove Salmon,” Lindgren said. “We want to carry premium products, not the same commodities that everybody else has. And Cutler Cove Salmon checks every box for us.” •

SOFT ROBOTICS, INC.

BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A.-BASED automation innovator Soft Robotics, Inc.’s mGripAI is an “easy-tointegrate food automation solution combining 3D vision, artificial intelligence software, and IP69K-rated soft grasping,” the company said. These elements give “industrial robots the hand-eye coordination of humans, enabling high-speed picking, sortation, singulation, and packaging of food from bulk to bins or conveyance,” Soft Robotics, Inc. noted.

“Food and consumer goods processors are now turning toward automation at increasingly high rates due to worker shortages, supply-chain issues, more stringent food safety standards, COVID, etc. Our solutions are safe, reliable, and ensure production is met by eliminating the need for human workers to maintain operational efficiencies,” the company said.

The mGripAI solution has three core components: Perception modules, which capture high-resolution 3D images; the intelligence module, which takes input from the perception modules and translates images into action for the robotic arm and gripper; and the mGrip soft gripper, which works in unison with the intelligence module to pick the selected product.

Ultimately, the mGripAI, which debuted in 2022, “provides industrial robots with the ability to tackle complex food processing tasks traditionally performed by human labor,” according to Soft Robotics. •

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A.- based Tive seeks to provide suppliers with end-to-end shipment visibility, real-time location and condition tracking, as well as active shipment monitoring with its suite of products.

The company’s portfolio includes the Tive Solo 5G tracker, a single-use multi-sensor device that gives suppliers “real-time visibility into the location, temperature, humidity, shock, and light of your goods in-transit.”

“To assure product quality, minimize waste, and eliminate load rejection, you need complete visibility into every shipment. Tive Solo 5G trackers

capture and transmit real-time, hyper-accurate location, temperature, humidity, and light exposure – reducing excursions and assuring product quality,” Tive said.

The device utilizes the latest global cellular, WiFi, and GPS technology, as well as on-board sensors, which send real-time sensor data to the Tive SaaS Platform, the firm explained.

“From there, logistics professionals actively manage shipments and eliminate preventable shipment delays and damage. A single button activates the tracker, and there’s no need to return it, eliminating complex reverse logistics operations,” the company said. •

High-Speed Food Automation Solutions

Our high-speed picking technology combining 3D vision, artificial intelligence software, and soft grasping are revolutionizing the food processing industry - one pick at a time.

The result?

Increased production by minimizing reliance on human labor

Greater throughput with high-speed picking

Safer product handling with IP69K food-grade materials

Reduced automation footprint lowering operational costs

See for yourself by visiting us at Seafood Expo in Booth #1086

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD PACKAGING INNOVATIONS WINNING OVER ECO-CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS

MORE SEAFOOD SHOPPERS are using their wallets to take control of their impact on the planet, from the popular fresh grab-and-go case to the frozen aisle, Sealed Air Director of Marketing Scott Corey told SeafoodSource.

“The importance of a package’s sustainability features is equally paramount for fresh and frozen seafood consumers,” Corey said. “Reduced plastic and packaging waste is among the highest-rated sustainability features that consumers look for.”

Several recent studies corroborate Corey’s observation that when it comes to sustainability, consumers look to a product’s packaging first. A survey conducted by Morning Consult, for instance, found that packaging was the component consumers related most closely to sustainability – the surveyor noted a strong link between efficient, lowwaste packaging and consumers’ judgment of a company’s commitment to sustainability.

Another survey from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) of 6,500 of its retail shoppers across the U.S. found sustainability to be “at the forefront of most consumers’ minds when making purchasing decisions” in 2022. Furthermore,

a staggering 90 percent of the URW’s surveyed consumers said they would even be willing to “pay a premium to purchase items that meet their environmentally sustainable criteria.”

When it comes to case-ready seafood – a category that continues to trend in 2023 – and its packaging, Corey noted that shoppers have specific material preferences in mind.

“Consumers are looking for more sustainable packaging formats, and paper and fiber are top of the list – when we asked consumers what packaging formats are most sustainable, they quickly go for paper and fiber solutions,” according to Corey.

Sealed Air’s 2022 Seafood Study found that across five different options, plastic-sealed fiber (53 percent) and paperboard with plastic vacuum film (60 percent) were viewed as the most sustainable by the report’s consumer

Sustainability’s influence over consumer purchasing decisions is growing, a shift that modern seafood packagers like Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based Sealed Air are taking to heart.

SUSTAINABLE... ON AND OFF THE LINE.

Because sustainable packaging matters to all of us. Introducing, our newest line of sustainable, case ready packaging solutions from CRYOVAC®. These solutions embody our holistic approach to sustainability by offering an array of benefits. Our offering includes packaging options made with recycled content and/or renewable resources, and some are even curbside recyclable. Stop by Sealed Air booth #589 today and learn more about our latest innovations and how we can help you achieve your ideal sustainable solution for your fresh or frozen seafood.

Stop By Booth #589

© 2023 Sealed Air Corporation

participants. All vacuum options also saw a high purchase intent among those surveyed, the company added.

“Obviously, there’s a sustainability concern with foam trays and, as a result, we’ve started to see a shift away from these trays in some parts of the market. But they’re still a big part of packaging seafood because some products are being packaged instore, where foam trays have been used for years. However, there’s some concern from consumers with respect to freshness with foam trays because they typically don’t have that kind of high-quality packaging that you can have with vacuum-skin or pre-packaged items,” Corey said.

Since the beginning of the decade, fresh seafood counters at retail have attracted ample foot-traffic by offering pre-packaged grab-andgo items, Corey said. Adopting more vacuum packaging techniques in this section of the store, Sealed Air added, is a prime area of opportunity for the seafood industry.

“As a food processor, your output is everything. It’s what makes or breaks your bottom line. However, providing a solution that not only improves your operational efficiencies, but also meets the growing needs of your customers is now more than ever the key to your success,” Sealed Air said. “With today’s hectic and ever-changing lifestyle, consumer needs have shifted. In fact, consumers now not only want a more sustainable packaging solution,

53 percent of them state they also prefer prepackaged options over full-service because it’s quicker, reduces their wait time, and is hassle-free. As a result, case-ready packaging is now more important than ever.”

Corey said a switch to vacuum packaging should “go hand-in-hand with consumer education on extended quality life by maintaining better moisture levels in the fish.”

In its 2022 report, Sealed Air found that consumer respondents who purchased vacuumpacked fresh fish did so predominantly because it stays fresh (26 percent), keeps food safe (15 percent), and allows them to better view the product (12 percent).

When fresh seafood is case-ready and prepackaged, it also makes online order fulfillment at grocery stores run more smoothly and keeps the category competitive in the digital realm, Corey explained.

Sealed Air’s portfolio includes a number of solutions that aim to bring more responsible packaging options to the fresh seafood category without compromising quality, per Corey, including modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and vacuum skin packaging (VSP) trays made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content configurations.

The company’s CRYOVAC brand Preformed HydroLOQ MAP trays, meanwhile, are padless and reduce waste to landfills by eliminating the need for an absorbent pad often required in foam counterparts, Sealed Air explained.

Sealed Air’s CRYOVAC brand Plant-based Rollstock and its CRYOVAC brand Darfresh on Board also offer a sustainable edge, according to the company. The plant-based rollstock replaces petroleum-based plastic or resin with a renewable corn-based resin. The Darfresh product “combines a clear, highly formable top film with a cardboard bottom carrier that offers twosided full-color printing on a curbside recyclable cardboard base,” Corey noted.

Additionally, Sealed Air said it has been working on a variety of fiber-based solutions in the new year.

Sealed Air is exhibiting at Seafood Expo North America / Seafood Processing North America at Booth # 589.

“There’s some concern from consumers with respect to freshness with foam trays because they typically don’t have that kind of high-quality packaging that you can have with vacuum-skin or pre-packaged items.”

– SCOTT COREY, SEALED AIR

FLOOR PLAN

Exhibit Sales Office: Booths 1953, 1853

Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia, SeafoodSource, National Fisheries Institute and Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF)

MARCH 12-14, 2023 / BOSTON, USA BOSTON

Floor plan as of 2/16/2023. Booth numbers are subject to change. PLEASE CHECK THE MOBILE APP FOR UPDATES & MORE!

FEATURED EXHIBITORS

Asian Food Service Co.,Ltd. Booth 2579

Bee Gee Atlantic Seafood Inc. Booth 712

Best Seafood Inc. Booths 2023, 2025

Bristol Seafood Booth 305

Cape Ann Lobstermen Booth 3146

Channel Fish Processing Co., Inc. Booth 2859

Ditusa Corp. Booth 2433

East China Seas Holdings Corp. Ltd. / Booth 1744

Fishlog International Booth 3333

Fuentes El atun rojo Booth 2973

Galaxy Global International Booths 1317, 1321

Inland Seafood Booth 2047 Kilic Seafood Booth 1157

Mexican Shrimp Paradise Booth 1509 MOWI Booths 217, 313

Ocean Kingdom Booth 1740

Pescanova, Inc. Booth 1021

PNG National Fisheries Authority Booth 3105

Sea Watch International Booth 423 Select Europe Inc Booth 2325

Taprobane Seafoods Pvt Ltd. Booth 2873

Vietocean Vietnam Booth 2649

Maldives Fisheries Promotion Board Booth 1919 Mark Foods Booth 1821

Pacific Seafood Group Booth 2305

Royal Greenland A/S Booth 2613 Ruggiero Seafood Booth 1544

Siam Canadian Group Limited Booth 1217

Pereira Productos Del Mar, S.A Booth 2533

Seafood Industries Association Singapore / Booth 3233

St. James Smokehouse Booth 1415 Superior Lobster Booth 2951

FEATURED EXHIBITORS

Aptar - Food Protection Booth 2271 Anritsu - Product Inspection & Detection / Booth 288 BAADER - North America Corp. Booth 1765 BELL-MARK Booth 1484 DESMI Pumping Technology A/S Booth 2084

ERS Solutions LLC Booth 486 Inecta Food ERP Booth 2075 JBT Corporation Booth 989 Linde Booth 1465 Lineage Logistics Booth 365

MARELEC Food Technologies Booth 1481 Maritech Booth 2066 Messer Booth 788

Nothum Food Processing Systems Booths 1367, 1369 RL Cold Booth 480

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) INC. / Booth 881 MULTIVAC Inc Booth 2365

SEPAmatic for North America Booth 868 Soft Robotics, Inc. Booth 1086 Tive Booth 1770

EXHIBITOR LIST

China Best Food Group., Ltd 1416

China-Japan Corporation 2333

Choice Canning Co Inc .......................................1549

Chun Cheng Fishery Enterprise Pte Ltd 3233

Chungnam Laver Fisheries Cooperative 3005

Chungsanbada Fishermen’s Organization.........3005

Cibel Group 2780

Cindy’s Kitchen ..........................................2949

Clark’s Harbour Seafood Ltd..............................2872

Classic Seafood Group ................................. 554

Clean Seas Sustainable Seafood 3151

Clearwater Seafoods Limited 2505

Coast Seafood USA LLC 404

Coastal Corporation Limited 2833

Cocedero de Mariscos, SA 2213

Cofimar S.A.

Coinrefri SRL 2513

Coldfish Seafood Co. Inc. 3245

Coldwater Prawns of Norway AS 2153

Conarpesa - Continental Armadores de Pesca S.A 2005

Congelados Noriberica S.A 2533

Contimax S.A. 3033

CONTINENTAL MARINES

China

Exhibitor list as of 2/16/2023. Booth numbers are subject to change. Please check the mobile for updates & more!

Exhibitor list as of 2/16/2023. Booth numbers are subject to change. Please check the mobile for updates & more!

EXHIBITOR LIST

DINING Around Boston

Back Bay

Abe & Louie’s

793 Boylston Street (617) 536-6300

abeandlouies.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Atlantic Fish Company

761 Boylston Street (617) 267-4000

atlanticfishco.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Back Bay Social

867 Boylston Street (617) 247-3200

backbaysocial.com

Cuisine: American

The Banks Fish House

406 Stuart Street (617) 399-0015

thebanksboston.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Bistro du Midi

272 Boylston Street (617) 426-7878

bistrodumidi.com

Cuisine: French

Buttermilk & Bourbon

160 Commonwealth Avenue (617) 266-1122

buttermilkbourbon.com

Cuisine: American

The Capital Grille

Hynes Convention Center

900 Boylston Street (617) 262-8900

thecapitalgrille.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

The Catered Affair at The Boston Public Library

700 Boylston Street (617) 859-2282

thecateredaffair.com/bpl

Cuisine: Contemporary American City Table

65 Exeter Street (617) 933-4800

citytableboston.com

Cuisine: American

Citrus & Salt Boston

142 Berkeley Street

citrusandsaltboston.com (617) 424-6711

Cuisine: Mexican

Club Cafe

209 Columbus Avenue (617) 536-0966 clubcafe.com

Cuisine: American

BASILE – Fine Italian Kitchen 162 Columbus Avenue (617) 350-0007 davinciboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse 75 Arlington Street (617) 357-4810 davios.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Grill 23 & Bar

161 Berkeley Street (617) 542-2255 grill23.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

La Voile

261 Newbury Street (617) 587-4200 lavoileboston.net

Cuisine: French Little Whale Oyster Bar

314 Newbury Street (857) 277-0800 littlewhaleboston.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Luke’s Lobster Back Bay

75 Exeter Street (857) 350-4626 lukeslobster.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Mistral

223 Columbus Avenue (617) 867-9300 mistralbistro.com

Cuisine: French

Red Lantern Restaurant

39 Stanhope Street (617) 262-3900 redlanternboston.com

Cuisine: Asian Rochambeau

900 Boylston Street (617) 247-0400

rochambeauboston.com

Cuisine: French

Saltie Girl

279 Dartmouth Street (617) 267-0691

saltiegirl.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Select Oyster Bar

50 Gloucester Street (857) 239-8064 selectboston.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Serafina Back Bay

237 Newbury Street (617) 426-1234 serafinaboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Sorellina

1 Huntington Avenue (617) 412-4600

sorellinaboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Summer Shack Boston

50 Dalton Street (617) 867-9955

summershackrestaurant.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Beacon Hill

75 Chestnut

75 Chestnut Street (617) 227-2175

75chestnut.com

Cuisine: American

Bin 26 ENOTECA

26 Charles Street (617) 723-5939

bin26.com

Cuisine: Italian

Cheers - The Original

84 Beacon Street (617) 227-9605

cheersboston.com

Cuisine: American

CLINK.

215 Charles Street (617) 224-4004

clinkrestaurant.com

Cuisine: Contemporary American Grotto

37 Bowdoin Street (617) 227-3434

grottorestaurant.com

Cuisine: Italian

The Emory

21 Beacon Street (617) 430-6325

theemoryboston.com

Cuisine: American

Ma Maison

272 Cambridge Street (617) 725-8855

mamaisonboston.com

Cuisine: French

Mooo Restaurant

Beacon Hotel

15 Beacon Street (617) 670-2515

mooorestaurant.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

The Tip Tap Room

138 Cambridge Street (857) 350-3344

thetiptaproom.com

Cuisine: American

Toscano Restaurant

47 Charles Street (617) 723-4090

toscanoboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Cambridge

Alden & Harlow

40 Brattle Street (617) 864-2100

aldenharlow.com

Cuisine: American

Amelia’s Trattoria

Kendall Square

111 Harvard Street (617) 868-7600

ameliastrattoria.com

Cuisine: Italian

ArtBar Restaurant

Royal Sonesta

40 Edwin Land Boulevard (617) 806-4122

artbarcambridge.com

Cuisine: American

Bambara Kitchen & Bar

Hotel Marlowe

25 Edwin H. Land Boulevard (617) 868-4444

bambara-cambridge.com

Cuisine: American

Casa Portugal

1200 Cambridge Street (617) 491-8880

restaurantcasaportugal.com

Cuisine: Portuguese

Evoo Restaurant

Kendall Square

350 3rd Street (617) 661-3866

evoorestaurant.com

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Grafton Street Pub & Grill

1230 Massachusetts Avenue (617) 497-0400

graftonstreetcambridge.com

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Harvest - Harvard Square

44 Brattle Street (617) 868-2255

harvestcambridge.com

Cuisine: Contemporary American

Charles Hotel

1 Bennett Street (617) 661-5005

henriettastable.com

Cuisine: American

Little Donkey

505 Massachusetts Avenue (617) 945-1008 littledonkeybos.com

Cuisine: International

Nubar - At the Commander

16 Garden Street (617) 234-1365

nubarcambridge.com

Cuisine: American

Oleana

134 Hampshire Street (617) 661-0505 oleanarestaurant.com

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Pammy’s

928 Massachusetts Avenue (617) 945-1761

pammyscambridge.com

Cuisine: Italian

Russell House Tavern 14 JFK Street (617) 500-3055

russellhousecambridge.com

Cuisine: American

Summer Shack Cambridge

149 Alewife Brook Parkway (617) 520-9500

summershackrestaurant.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Toscano Harvard Square

52 Brattle Street (617) 354-5250

toscanoboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Urban Hearth

2263 Massachusetts Avenue (617) 682-7295

urbanhearth.net

Cuisine: American

Chinatown/ Theater District

4th Wall Restaurant & Bar

228 Tremont Street (857) 957-0909 4thwallrestaurant.com

Cuisine: American

Artisan Bistro

The Ritz Carlton No. 10 Avery Street (617) 574-7176 ritzcarlton.com

Cuisine: European/American Blu Restaurant

4 Avery Street (617) 375-8550 blurestaurant.com

Cuisine: American

GaGa Seafood Restaurant

25 Tyler Street (617) 338-8770 gagaseafoodbostonma.com

Cuisine: Chinese

NEW JUMBO Seafood Restaurant

5 Hudson Street (617) 541-2823 newjumboseafoodrestaurant.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Ostra

1 Charles Street South (617) 421-1200 ostraboston.com

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Downtown/ Financial District

2TWENTY2

4 Liberty Square (617) 723-3222 222bstn.com

Cuisine: American Avenue One Hyatt Regency Boston

1 Avenue de Lafayette (617) 422-5579

regencyboston.hyatt.com

Cuisine: American

Back Deck Grill

2 West Street (617) 670-0320 backdeckboston.com

Cuisine: New England

Bostonia Public House

131 State Street (617) 948-9800 bostoniapublichouse.com

Cuisine: New England

Boston College Club

100 Federal Street (617) 946-2828 clubcorp.com/Clubs/BostonCollege-Club

Cuisine: New England

Casa Razdora

115 Water Street (617) 338-6700 casarazdora.com

Cuisine: Italian

Central Wharf Co.

160 Milk Street (617) 451-9460 centralwharfco.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Fin Point Oyster Bar + Grille 89 Broad Street (617) 348-1234 finpointboston.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Granary Tavern

170 Milk Street (617) 449-7110 granarytavern.com

Cuisine: Gastropub

Mariel

10 Post Office Square (617) 333-8776

marielofficial.com

Cuisine: Cuban

The Merchant

60 Franklin Street (617) 482-6060

themerchantboston.com

Cuisine: Latin/Asian

Mija Cantina & Tequila Bar

1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Quincy Market (857) 284-7382

mijaboston.com

Cuisine: Mexican

Oceanaire Seafood Room

40 Court Street (617) 742-2277

theoceanaire.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Parker’s Restaurant

Omni Parker House

60 School Street (617) 725-1600

omnihotels.com/hotels/ boston-parker-house

Cuisine: New England

Q Restaurant

660 Washington Street (857) 350-3968

thequsa.com

Cuisine: Asian/Sushi

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

45 School Street

Old City Hall (617) 742-8401

ruthschris.com

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Stillwater

120 Kingston Street (617) 936-3079

stillwaterboston.com

Cuisine: American

Union Oyster House

41 Union Street (617) 227-2750

unionoysterhouse.com

Cuisine: Seafood

North End/ Waterfront

Antico Forno

93 Salem Street (617) 723-6733

anticofornoboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Aria Trattoria

253 Hanover Street (617) 742-1276

arianorthend.com

Cuisine: Italian

Artu Rosticceria & Trattoria 6 Prince Street (617) 742-4336 artuboston.com

Cuisine: Italian

Bacco Ristorante & Bar

Boston’s North End 107 Salem Street (617) 624-0454

bacconorthend.com

Cuisine: Italian

Boston Sail Loft 80 Atlantic Avenue (617) 227-7280

thebostonsailloft.com

Cuisine: Seafood

Bricco Ristorante

241 Hanover Street (617) 248-6800

bricco.com

Cuisine: Italian

Cantina Italiana

346 Hanover Street (617) 723-4577

cantinaitaliana.com

Cuisine: Italian

Chart House Restaurant 60 Long Wharf (617) 227-1576

chart-house.com

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Keynoter returns to Boston to address impacts of inflation, climate change on 2023 economic outlook

BY MADELYN KEARNS

“I HAVE TO SAY, IT’S A WEIRD TIME to be giving a global macroeconomics overview, just because things are changing so much,” Kroll Institute Global Chief Economist Megan Greene said during her keynote address at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in 2022.

That constant churn of change remains one year later as Greene returns to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. to convene with the seafood community for her sophomore keynote address at the top industry event.

To kick things off in 2023, Greene will once again utilize her keen forecasting skills to examine the highfrequency data, structural trends, global flows, political factors, and policy developments driving the road to recovery and where it’s likely heading. Key topics up for exploration this year include international supply-chain challenges, inflation, and climate change, according to Greene.

Greene, who serves as a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, is renowned for her early economic

predictions, which she formulates by investigating the nuanced intersection of macroeconomic, financial markets, and politics. Her perspective surrounding world economies has been cited and sought after by numerous business news outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg, NPR, BBC, and The Financial Times, for which she writes a regular column focused on global macroeconomics.

A former global chief economist for John Hancock/ Manulife Asset Management, Greene will utilize her extensive policy and academia background, as well as her C-suite leadership experience, to craft a financial outlook for the seafood industry that plots some of the potential market opportunities and risks that lie ahead in a post-pandemic world.

The keynote from Greene headlines a comprehensive conference program featuring more than 30 sessions covering timely industry trends on aquaculture; corporate social responsibility; consumption; food safety and compliance (policy); seafood business and leadership; and seafood sustainability, traceability, and transparency.

CONFERENCE TRACKS

Conference sessions, unless otherwise noted, require a conference registration. If you wish to upgrade your badge to include conference sessions, you can do so at the registration desk (Room 153C).

Aquaculture

Seafood Business & Leadership

Corporate Social Responsibility

Food Safety, Policy

Sustainability

Traceability, Transparency

Plastics & Climate Change

For the most up to date information including panelist updates, please visit seafoodexpo.com/north-america/conference-program/

SUNDAY, March 12, 2023

11:00am – 12:15pm

Keynote: Economic Update for 2023 – Where Are We Headed?

Speaker: Megan Greene, Global Economist, Financial Times Columnist & Senior Fellow, Brown University

Room: 153AB

Economic forecasting is a tricky business; they say the key to success is to forecast often. Megan Greene is unafraid to have out-of-consensus views and has a fantastic forecasting track record. She examines high frequency economic data, structural trends, global flows, political factors, and policy developments to determine the state of the global recovery and to highlight risks and opportunities for businesses and markets. In this keynote presentation, Greene will examine these factors to offer insight on where the global recovery is heading, including an outlook for international supply chain challenges, inflation, and climate change.

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Regulatory Update on FDA and U.S. Customs Requirements for Seafood Companies

Moderator: Peter Quinter, Gunster

Panelists: Dean Leaman, Certified Group

Sergio Lozano Jr., Alpha Brokers Corp. / L&L Trade Law

John Verbeten, FDA

Room: 151B

FDA now uses artificial intelligence to identify and select imported seafood shipments for examination. Learn practical steps to benefit from this new FDA procedure and technology to avoid unnecessary detentions, hold, and refusals. Food Safety Act developments in 2021 and 2022 are extensive for all companies that transport, store, or import seafood. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also has refocused its resources to inspect seafood, and issues penalties and seizures for non-compliant companies. These are practical, real know-how food safety and compliance policies and procedures for all companies involved in the seafood business to understand to expedite the importation of seafood into the United States.

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Seafood Trends in Foodservice

Speaker: Kelley Fechner, Datassential Room: 153AB

Fechner will draw from Datassential’s extensive resources to examine seafood trends in the U.S. Specifically, she will identify the top and fastest growing varieties of seafood on menus, as well as the corresponding flavors and preparations that are paired with each from Datassential’s MenuTrends database. In addition, this presentation will highlight consumer ratings for various types of seafood, utilizing Datassential’s SCORES and Flavor databases, indicating preferred varieties and flavors for target demographic groups (Millennials, Gen Z, etc.). The objective of this presentation is to offer up relevant insights that will help conference attendees better understand seafood trends in the U.S. and build more targeted strategies and initiatives for their organizations.

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Setting Industry Expectations on Social Compliance: Role of Social Certification Programs & the SSCI Benchmark

Moderator: Eva van Heukelom, GSSI

Panelists:

Didier Bergeret, The Consumer Goods Forum

Stefanie Moreland, Trident Seafoods

Steve Philips, Wegmans

Room: 152

Addressing social compliance in seafood harvesting and production has become a key focal point for seafood companies in their sustainability efforts and policies. Social certification programs will be an important assurance mechanism for the seafood sector in driving social compliance. Ensuring that clear market expectations on social certification programs are set has been an important focus for GSSI and CGF’s Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI). Noticing an emerging need to define what good looks like for social compliance in the seafood sector, GSSI and CGF collaborated, resulting in the At Sea Operations Scope of the SSCI Benchmark. Building on the success of GSSI’s the Global Benchmark Tool, the latest SSCI scope enables the recognition of social compliance schemes operating in the seafood sector, providing the seafood industry with harmonized requirements and a list of recognized robust social compliance schemes to choose from for their supply chain due diligence.

Together with its industry partners, GSSI and SSCI will speak to:

• The value of social compliance schemes, and why benchmarking them is required.

• How the industry and market look to use schemes

• E xpected and needed developments to face upcoming challenges

1:15pm – 2:00pm

FREE SPONSORED PRESENTATION:

Seafood Shouldn’t Threaten

Ocean Wildlife: How the seafood industry can restore populations of endangered species

nine consecutive years, Thai Union will share the findings of first-ever assessments of its supply chains to identify fisheries impacting endangered ocean wildlife through bycatch. Collaborators Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Key Traceability will discuss the implications of the reviews, including existing efforts and best practices to reduce impacts to seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks and the importance of electronic monitoring to ensure transparency. The panel will address the key challenges facing the seafood industry and how industry-wide action is needed to recover endangered species and restore marine biodiversity.

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Case Study: Our Blue Future: Toward a Carbon Neutral Seafood Supply Chain

Moderator: Sam Belknap, Island Institute

Panelists:

Ben Conniff, Luke’s Lobster

Boe Marsh, Community Shellfish

Mathew Tarpey, Maine Electric Boat Company

Emma Wendt, Island Institute

Room: 151B

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Harmonizing Traceability and Transparency in a Dynamic Regulatory Landscape

Moderator: Sally Yozell, Stimson Center

Panelists:

Greg Brown, GDST

Alexa Cole, NOAA Fisheries

Wakao Hanaoka, Seafood Legacy

Rob Rosenberg, NTELX, Inc.

Max Schmid, Environmental Justice Foundation

Room: 152

Moderator: Jim Cannon, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)

Speakers:

Adam Brennan, Thai Union

Kathryn Novak, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)

Iain Pollard, Key Traceability Room 155

Ranked number one in the food industry on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices in 2022 and listed for

Wild-caught and aquaculture seafood provide significant opportunities to feed the world high quality foods with less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than terrestrial agriculture. However, these supply chains are not carbon neutral and provide important opportunities for GHG reduction. In this session, you will hear from marine businesses and non-profit partners leading the way in Maine to create the lowcarbon seafood supply chain of the future. Island Institute, Luke’s Lobster, Community Shellfish, and Maine Electric Boat Company will discuss the datainformed initiatives and actionable steps they are taking to reduce the carbon footprint of Maine’s sustainable seafood. These actions are based upon a newly conducted analysis of Luke’s vertically integrated lobster supply chain, which assessed emissions segment by segment throughout the supply chain from ship to shore to consumer. The results indicate which segments provide the opportunity for the greatest amount of GHG reduction and compare lobster emissions to other protein sources. Participants will also learn about opportunities through the electrification of vessels and the build out of the shoreside infrastructure required for clean energy transitions. This research directed action to lower climate impacts of the lobster supply chain have important implications for fisheries in New England, Atlantic Canada, and beyond. This panel seeks to demonstrate how the seafood sector and the working waterfront upon which it relies, together can lead in addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

In the last year, the demand for enhanced seafood traceability has continued to increase and seafood trade regulations around the world have evolved and expanded. Governments are making commitments to cooperate in their efforts to combat IUU-harvested seafood in the supply chain more than ever before. Despite this, illegally harvested and misrepresented seafood still makes its way to consumers around the world. Regulations are not harmonized and supply chain digitization technology is not uniformly employed, which places a significant due-diligence burden on industry to prevent IUU seafood from entering into the legal market. We will review the evolving regulatory landscape for seafood traceability and discuss challenges and opportunities for effective implementation. We will hear from representatives of producer nations and industry on their efforts to prepare for and comply with these emerging and expanding programs and discuss how major market states are cooperating to enforce these measures while minimizing the burden to industry. This event is hosted by the Stimson Center and the Walton Family Foundation.

Supply and Demand Trends in Shipping and Logistics

Moderator: Morten Wurlger, Blue Water Shipping

Panelists:

Alf-Gøran Knutsen, Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett AS

Predrag Mladenovic, Air France KLM Cargo Room: 153AB

Global logistics continus to face supply chain challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers from multiple areas of the shipping supply chain will discuss shipping and logistics trends that affect the US such as exports from Europe and/or Chile to the US.

3:30pm - 5:00pm

Power of Seafood 2023

Moderator: Rick Stein, FMI- Food Industry Association

Panelists:

Steve Markenson, FMI-Food Industry Association

Christine Ngo, H&N

Guy Pizutti, Publix

Jason Pride, Hy-Vee

Room: 153AB

The annual Power of Seafood report has become a staple of research for the supermarket industry. The 2023 report is the 5th annual consumer survey and will share insights into shopper behavior and data that are considered a tool for retailers in their efforts to grow seafood sales. In this presentation, speakers will explore why consumers are buying what they are buying and why they are not buying what they are not buying. Join us as we provide insights and then interview panelists to discuss their take on the data and insights.

Enabling Certification for Small Scale Producers: A Cost-Cutting Approach in Fully Traceable Seafood Supply Chains

Moderator: Megan Westmeyer, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

Panelists:

Michelle Bellinger, ICV Africa (PTY) LTD

Mark Kaplan, Envisible

James Leduc, Topco Associates

Brian Perkins, The Global Seafood Alliance Room: 152

According to FAO, around 12 percent and counting of the world population makes its livelihood from seafood. And, small-scale producers and coastal communities are more likely to engage in sustainable practices compared to their industrial counterparts. Yet, small-scale producers face the most obstacles to reach larger international markets. One such obstacle is the cost of sustainable certification. The panel discussion will include representatives of the supply chain where a new model for artisanal certification is being tested, Envisible (a seafood sourcing company), and Cape Fish (a seafood processor), who work with small-scale South African fishers in a fully traceable seafood supply chain. The model enables a route to market with lower costs for producers, buyers, and consumers. The panelists will speak from experience applying the model in a

MONDAY, March 13, 2023

9:15am - 10:00am

FREE SPONSORED PRESENTATION: Advancing Costs Associated With Responsible Practices Into Product Value

Speaker: Frank Terzoli

Room: 151B

Asking industry to constantly evolve to more sustainable and responsible sourcing practices is a good thing. Experts agree, the future of our planet depends on it. The marketplace is shifting, and consumer priorities are playing a large role in product selection for retail, as well as brand performance. Each new positive change or certification comes with significant costs to the manufacturer. These costs could not be transferred into product value, until now, with the advent of ERS (Earth Responsibility Score).

Join us for an informational session and the global launch of the first system that transfers the costs of responsible practices into real tangible product value. Hear from industry experts and NGO veterans on why this is a game-changer. See how for the price of a good

bottle of wine you can change your bottom line and get a competitive advantage over the competition, all the while helping our industry sustain itself for the future.

FREE SPONSORED PRESENTATION:

Benefits of High Pressure Processing (HPP) for Seafood

yellowfin tuna supply chain, and will offer practical steps for producers and buyers to explore the model and traceability in their own supply chains.

NOAA Leadership Update: Supporting the U.S. Seafood Industry through Science and Strategy

Moderator: Kate Naughten, NOAA Fisheries Panelists:

Rick Spinrad, Depart of Commerce, NOAA

Janet Coit, NOAA Fisheries

Jon Hare, NOAA Fisheries

Michael Pentony, NOAA Fisheries Room: 151B

U.S. fisheries are among the world’s largest and most sustainable, but the health of our ocean economy relies on the health of the ocean. NOAA Fisheries is playing a critical role in enacting the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities around mitigating impacts of climate change and strengthening our Blue Economy. Join NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit and other members of NOAA leadership for an update on administration priorities as they relate to seafood and a discussion about how the agency is working to support increased production and resilience in the face of numerous challenges.

Seafood processors reap extraordinary benefits through the application of high pressure to enhance product offerings and expand market opportunities. HPP is extensively used I the lobster and oyster industries for the extraction of meat with limited or no manual labor.

11:45am - 12:45pm

Increasing the Seafood Industry’s Voice in Global Climate Policy

Moderator: Leo Pradela, Walton Foundation

Speaker: Dr. Errol Raghubeer Room: 155

High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) is cold pasteurization in pure water; it uses ultra-high pressure purified water to keep packaged food pathogen-free to stay fresh longer. At very high pressures bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli, vibrio and Salmonella are inactivated. Foods using HPP include ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meats, ready-meals, fruits and vegetables, juices and smoothies, soups and sauces, wet salads and dips, dairy products, pet food, baby food, seafood and shellfish. HPP helps producers increase food safety and extend shelf-life while providing consumers with nutritious, natural, flavorful food.

Panelists:

Ned Daly, Seafood2030 & SeafoodSource.com

Citlali Gomez-Lepe, COMEPESCA

Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Alliance

Kristin Kleisner, EDF

Room: 151B

There are a number of important efforts in seafood to address the industry’s impact on climate change, but there are far fewer efforts working to address climate change’s impact on the seafood industry. The seafood industry can be an important voice in climate change policy due to the significant impact climate can have

Aquaculture Seafood Business & Leadership Corporate Social Responsibility Food Safety, Policy Sustainability Traceability, Transparency Plastics & Climate Change

on oceans, fisheries, the industry, and the importance of seafood to food security and climate-friendly food systems. Despite the threats climate change poses for the seafood industry, there are few mechanisms or platforms to elevate the industry’s voice in international climate policy fora. This panel will explore the value and opportunity for the seafood industry to more effectively communicate the climate related issues it is facing and to ensure climate policy reflects and addresses the increasing impacts on oceans, fisheries, and seafood production.

11:45am - 12:45pm

Keeping Seafood Sustainability Front and Center Amid Shifting Eating Habits

Moderator: Jackie Marks, Marine Stewardship Council

Panelists:

Jack Delano, Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.

Donna Egner, Meijer

Kristen Stevens, Marine Stewardship Council, USA

Andrew Thorne-Lyman, Bloomberg School of Public Health

Room: 153AB

Climatarian, flexitarian, pescatarian, plant-based? North American diets are changing, with a clear indication from recent consumer data that consumers are favoring plant-based and climate-friendly foods. This is good news for the seafood industry as consumers report willingness to make necessary changes to support more planet-friendly diets. While top motivators for seafood purchasing in the U.S. and Canada continue to be health and quality, consumers report that they believe the choices they make about eating fish/seafood can make a difference to the health of our ocean. That’s where the seafood industry and certifications play an important role in making sustainable seafood an easy choice for consumers. Join us for an interactive look at recent consumers data, marketing case studies, and a discussion on how seafood certifications and industry continue to move the needle on sustainability and ocean health.

Customs Compliance and Enforcement: Forced Labor and the UFLPA

Moderator: Jessica Rifkin, Ben England and Associates & FDAImportants.com

Panelists:

Benjamin L. England, Benjamin L. England & Associates

Therese Randazzo, Office of Trade U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Shireen Yousef, Office of Trade U.S. Customs and Border Protection Room: 152

This session will provide an in-depth exploration of CBP compliance and enforcement issues in the forced labor area. CBP’s focus on “traditional” forced labor enforcement actions has increased in recent years,

with CBP issuing detention orders (WROs) on seafood harvested by multiple individual vessels and an entire fleet of vessels in one instance. The recent entry into force of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in June 2022 continues to raise the stakes, with all seafood produced or processed in the Xinjiang region of China – or produced/processed outside the Xinjiang region by forcibly transferred Uyghur workers – subject to automatic detention upon arrival in the U.S. Partner governmental agencies may take actions which will affect seafood importers as well – for example, NOAA recently proposed adding forced labor to the definition of IUU fishing under the U.S. Moratorium Protection Act. Hear from CBP officials on what to expect in 2022, what they think is important and why. Pick up some pointers on what seafood importers should be doing to avoid having their imports barred from entry due to forced labor concerns.

1:30pm - 2:30pm

The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability Reinvented

Moderator: Greg Brown, GDST Panelists: Francisco Aldon, MarinTrust Jayson Berryhill, Wholechain Marcelo Hidalgo, Fishing Industry Association of Papua New Guinea Angel Matamora, Nueva Pescanova Room: 152

GDST is completing its first half-year of operations following its transition in October 2022 from an NGOsponsored platform into a permanent, independent, industry-based organization. At this session, leading industry players will provide updates on the growth of GDST activities and rising industry participation. We will highlight cases showing how GDST standards are improving digital traceability across seafood supply chains, while providing information about new GDST implementation tools and the ongoing development of the GDST standards themselves. As the GDST standards continue to gain influence, this session will provide business-relevant insights useful to all companies and stakeholders thinking about the future of seafood traceability.

Retail Seafood – Where is the Tide Going?

Speaker: Claire Morgan, L.E.K. Consulting Room: 151B

The retail seafood market has evolved over the past decade, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three key trends have emerged that will dictate the future opportunity:

1. A sustained shift from foodservice to retail: The market has historically been ~70 percent foodservice as many Americans did not know how

to cook seafood at home. However, this shifted during the pandemic as consumers learned to cook at home. Consumers shifted to prepared and convenient seafood options in grocery stores during the pandemic and that increased familiarity is expected to sustain post-pandemic.

2. G rowth in innovation to increase convenience: The seafood industry has historically lacked a strong branded player and marketing / packaging has not been a focus for manufacturers. This has changed in recent years, with significant innovation in the fresh and frozen aisles. Companies have rolled out seafood entrees and meal-kits that increase convenience and made cooking seafood at home more accessible to consumers. Those offering basic fillets or breaded / battered products are starting to fall behind.

3. A rise in shelf-stable and ready-to-eat seafood: The U.S. shelf-stable seafood retail market saw a surge of ~USD 500 million in 2020 as consumers looked to stock up on staple items. Brands like Starkist, Bumble Bee, and Chicken of the Sea benefitted from this spike, as did trendier tinned fish producers who had begun to gain share pre-pandemic. Outside of the shelf-stable seafood market, demand for ready-to-eat sushi has also grown as consumers have increased their comfort level for buying seafood at the grocery store.

Let’s join together as a group to discuss the implications of these trends and the opportunities they present for industry participants.

The Evolution and Future of Seafood Processing

Moderator: Chris Chase, SeafoodSource.com

Panelists:

Peter Handy, Bristol Seafood Diego Lages, Marel

Nils Rabe, BAADER North America

Room: 153AB

The level of technology used in a particular seafood processing plant can differ vastly from one location to another: From tech first used over half a decade ago to cutting-edge solutions utilizing the latest in machine learning. The locations that seafood is processed and packed in, as well, have evolved – and some experts suggest China’s long-time dominance in the sector may be waning. On top of that, a push for recirculating aquaculture systems is changing how seafood is produced – and potentially how it is processed. Join an expert panel as they discuss how processing has changed, what the current market demand looks like, and what the future could hold.

Aquaculture Seafood Business & Leadership Corporate Social Responsibility Food Safety, Policy Sustainability

Traceability, Transparency Plastics & Climate Change

CONTACT HANDY

2:45pm - 3:45pm

Claiming a Place at the Table for Sustainable Seafood as Food Production Takes Center Stage in the Climate Crisis

Moderator: Karly Kelso, EDF

Panelists: Zach Koehn, Stanford University

Katherine Bryar, BioMar Group

Tim Fitzgerald, American Seafoods

Rebecca Wintering, U.S. Department of State Room: 151B

This panel will bring everyone up to date with rapidlyevolving international developments on agri-food and climate policy, what they mean for aquatic food producers, and how the industry can emerge as leaders and engage to ensure that fisheries have a seat at the table when decisions are made that affect their future. Governments, school systems, large companies, and even households are in the throes of food system transformation, spurred by the climate crisis, the conflict in Ukraine, COVID, and rising costs. Blue foods can play a central role in the transformation by tackling sustainability, health, and development challenges. Major new research publications demonstrate that aquatic foods are: (1) climate-friendly compared to other sources of protein; (2) highly nutritious; (3) capable of sustainable expansion to meet global food needs; and (4) vital employment sources in very climatevulnerable regions. Research also shows that the type of blue foods are important and there is a growing need for coordinated efforts along the supply chain to shift both production and consumption towards low-impact species. But the challenge to the seafood industry is that aquatic foods have been largely ignored by governments as they set policy priorities and make decisions about where to invest, and what food resources to prioritize and protect. It’s time for the this to change: That’s what led to the formation of the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition during the UN Food Systems Summit – to ensure aquatic foods are not ignored by policy makers and investors, donors and health ministers, as they went about deciding on the future of our food systems. This panel will explain how and why the industry and sustainability advocates need to work together to build resilience in the supply chain and make sure that aquatic foods are front and center when global and national policy and investments are made. And the importance for the industry to emerge as a leader for a resilient blue future.

Defining The Ideal Seafood Supplier and The Ideal Seafood Customer

Moderator: Phil Walsh, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

Panelists: Chuck Anderson, Certified Quality Foods

Tony Downs, Sysco

Shawn Oliver, Giant Eagle

Kerry Umamoto, Hilo Fish Company, INC.

Room: 153AB

Inflation, the COVID pandemic, and supply chain challenges have radically affected the seafood industry and the way companies do business. Decrease in availability, increase in cost, and runaway supply chain expense for high-quality seafood creates tectonic shifts in relationships between the supply and procurement communities. Join our session to hear from two prominent representatives from each community who will present their concept of today’s ideal supplier and customer. Time will be available at the end for open Q&A.

Evolving the Seafood Sector: Why Gender Equality is an “Everybody” Issue

Moderator: Julie Kuchepatov, SAGE

Panelists: Jen Levin, True Fin Stacy Schultz, Fortune Fish & Gourmet

Rob Snyder, Acme Smoked Fish Corp and ASF Foundation Room: 152

The ship has set sail on gender equality in every industry, and the seafood sector needs to embark now or be left behind. While 50 percent of the workforce in this powerhouse industry are women, they are significantly underrepresented in management and decision-making roles and face gender-based discrimination. In 2018, only 4 percent of the top global seafood companies have women CEOs. In the U.S., this figure was around 7 percent, and women comprised only 21 percent of boards of the leading North American seafood companies. Diversity in leadership leads to more company-wide diversity, resulting in more innovation and creative problem-solving, higher staff retention, and a boost in a company’s brand and reputation. It’s ultimately better for your bottom line. At a time when younger generations around the globe are taking a strong, unprecedented stand against rampant inequalities, unethical practices, and ecologically destructive consumerism, it’s clear that continuing “business as usual” is unsustainable for the long-term economic survival of the seafood industry. In this panel discussion, industry leaders will share some of the challenges around gender inequality in the seafood sector, as well as some solutions to address these challenges. The audience will leave equipped with a better grasp on the issues and some tangible actions they can take to usher forth a transition to a more equitable future for all – ensuring the survival and wellbeing of the sector for years to come.

4:00pm - 5:00pm

How Technology is Reshaping the Customer Experience

Moderator: Bowie Cheung, Pepper

Panelists: Chris Cumming, Kvaroy Arctic Salmon Derek Figueroa, Seattle Fish Company Arlin Wasserman, Changing Tastes Room: 151B

• Customer expectations are shifting – real life stories, told by sales leaders at Seattle Fish, Santa Monica Seafood, and Inland Seafood about customers expectations about online ordering, product discovery, customer service, payments, billing, data reporting, and how they’re adapting their daily ways of working with customers to meet these changing demands

• How distributors are adapting to changing expectations – sales leaders will discuss recent company initiatives in technology integrations for corporate customers, e-commerce solutions, sales enablement tools, etc.

• Internal cultural change – i.e. how do their management teams feel about the state of technology in the industry and what’s that evolution been like for them?

• Impact and lessons learned – with respect to some of these recent initiatives, sales leaders will share stories illustrating impact to the business and key lessons learned along the way.

Bringing Seafood Growth and Production

Back to the US – Examples from RAS Leaders

Moderator: Richard Stavis, Stavis Consulting

Panelists: Damien Claire, Atlantic Sapphire

Martin Gardner, Blue Ridge Aquaculture

Robin Pearl, American Mariculture, Inc.

Robert Walker, Gold River Aquafarms Ltd. Room: 153AB

For decades, the U.S. has increasingly relied on seafood grown, caught, and/or processed overseas. This has been especially true for farm raised seafood. Until recently, U.S. efforts to grow seafood have been eclipsed by countries with legal frameworks and environments more accommodating to aquaculture. Land-based, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are changing the landscape. Early high volume growers of land-based aquaculture on U.S. soil are working to reverse the trend. Join us; learn how RAS aquaculture is bringing seafood closer to home!

Food for Thought and Wellbeing: Can the Seafood Industry Work with Plant-based Analog Developers to Feed a Growing Planet?

Moderator: Maddie Kearns, SeafoodSource.com

Panelist: Mickie French, The Center for Food Integrity

Steve Markenson, FMI - The Food Industry Association Room: 152

Consumers’ appetite for healthy eating has been celebrated by the seafood industry as well as the plantbased protein analog sector that seeks to emulate it. Approximately 31 percent of U.S.-based shoppers surveyed for the “2022 Power of Plant-based Foods

SCALES FOR SEAFOOD

TSD-N3 Semi-Automatic Weigher

Various in-stock scale models ready to ship!

Always the best way to weigh.

and Beverages” report, compiled by FMI – The Food Industry Association with support from NielsenIQ, said they were focused on overall health when purchasing groceries throughout the pandemic. This hunger for wellness led many Americans to contemplate the plantbased segment over recent years, which is now worth nearly USD 10 billion (EUR 9.7 billion), according to

NielsenIQ President Sherry Frey. FMI Senior Director for Health and Well-being Krystal Register confirmed that when it comes to plant-based foods and beverages, consumers are most interested in taste and nutrition – traits that also draw shoppers to traditional seafood products. As production picks up for suppliers of seafood and plant-based analogs alike, it’s crucial to

TUESDAY, March 14, 2023

discussion surrounding the growing trend of plantbased analog development and what it means for the seafood industry at large.

10:00am

- 11:00am

How U.S. Seafood Consumers are Adapting to Inflation… and Impacting Retail Sales

Speakers: Adam Brohimer, Category Partners

Cara Ammom, Category Partners

Room: 153AB

Consumers are feeling increasing pressure with respect to product shortages and retail grocery price inflation. Traditional media, politicians, investment advisors, just to name a few, are all discussing what is happening. Getting far less attention, but perhaps far more consequential, is the conversation around how seafood consumers are adjusting their shopping behaviors in anticipation of, or reaction to, price increases. Category Partners has conducted a series of analyses and consumer surveys over the last 18 months designed to measure and track consumer sentiment and sales trends as events have unfolded. This session conducted by Category Partners will highlight what this research uncovered. Covering topics like how long consumers anticipate the inflation trend to last, consumer switching across package sizes, deal seeking, product trade ups/downs, actual retail price-points and product pricing trends, channel/retailer switching, and other elements important to them. Category Partners will highlight consumer realities and dynamics at retail grocery that are occurring, or will be occurring, in a U.S. market near you.

Artificial Intelligence for Smarter Fisheries Management: The What, How, Who, and When

Moderator: Raiana McKinney, Pew Charitable Trust

Panelists:

Leah Buckley, Global Fishing Watch

Ben Gilmer, The Nature Conservancy

Justin Kay, Ai.Fish

Eric Enno Tamm, ThisFish Inc.

Room: 151B

Sustainable management of the world’s seafood supply chain requires data, and lots of it. Comprehensive information on catch, vessels, and trade is vital to

ensure that science and policies are well-informed and effective. But with tens of thousands of boats fishing in tens of millions of square miles of ocean, innovative technology is now needed to collect and analyze all that data. That is where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) come in. AI is everywhere, but for most people, their knowledge about artificial intelligence is usually limited to what they see on TV and in movies. This session will focus on introducing attendees to AI and ML by explaining what these technologies are, where they are being used in the fisheries sector today, and their future potential. A series of presentations will focus on organizations and companies that are using AI and ML to monitor fishing activity, track vessels, detect potential illegal activities, and identify risks in the supply chain. The session will also highlight companies that are developing new and exciting AI-based ways to increase fisheries transparency and accountability from fishing deck, dock, and dish.

Unpacking DEI: Why it Matters in the Workplace

Speakers: Kimberly Davis, Blue Level Terence Mayo, Blue Level Room: 152

The aim of this session is for participants to become more aware of their own mindset related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), while considering ways to lead with a new, more effective approach to improving relationships and challenging automatic patterns of thinking. This session will provide learners with best practices that will aid in navigating difficult topics in the DEI space, while gaining insights into applying these strategies to real life experiences.

11:15am - 12:15pm

Turbulent Times: Seafood Company Financing and Investing

Moderator: Ignacio Kleiman, Antarctica Advisors

Panelists:

Jason Brantley, Bank of America

John Doucette, M&T Bank Room: 153AB

A panel of experienced North American finance

consider how each respective industry contributes to the overarching goal of feeding and nourishing the planet’s population. Can they work in tandem to achieve this goal? How can suppliers of traditional and analog seafood products coexist while maintaining and building consumers’ trust in food? This expert panel will consider such questions and more in a

professionals will provide attending seafood industry participants with updated insight into aspects of the impact of the economy’s volatility on the financing and selling of seafood companies.

Driving Alignment and Building Capacity to Implement Human Rights Due Diligence

Moderator: Garrett Okrasinski, FishWise

Panelist:

Andy Hickman, Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance

Sam Grimley, Sea Pact

Helen Packer, World Benchmarking Alliance

Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Alliance

Aiko Yamauchi, Seafood Legacy Room: 152

Pre-competitive collaborations are a unique avenue to gain momentum on key topics and align efforts in the seafood industry. In this plenary, FishWise will host a panel with Sea Pact, SEA Alliance, Seafood Legacy, World Benchmarking Alliance, and Global Tuna Alliance to discuss their recent efforts to align activities and guidance while also building capacity amongst members to operationalize human rights due diligence. This panel will discuss the changing landscape, how to measure progress, key insights and learnings from engagement, and where they see the future of human and labor rights in the seafood industry heading.

The State of Shrimp Farming in the U.S.

Moderator: Cliff White, SeafoodSource.com

Panelists:

Robin Pearl, Sun Shrimp

Daniel Russek, Atarraya

Adam Thomas, Trans American Aquaculture Room: 151B

Shrimp farming in the United States remains more or less a cottage industry, but a handful of ambitious start-ups and smaller enterprises across the country are aiming to carve out a bigger slice of the market. U.S. shrimp may never be able to compete with imports on price, but there is a proven market for U.S.-grown shrimp, and more consumers are showing they are willing to pay a premium for locally produced shrimp with sustainability bona fides. Join these executives of shrimp-farming operations across the United States – from California to Texas to Florida – to discuss their

BY CHRIS CHASE

U.S. GOVERNMENT EYEING SEAFOOD SHAKE-UPS

Federal-level actions on traceability, tariffs, and even the legality of certain fisheries have all taken place over the past year, and all signs are pointing to the federal government continuing to consider moves on seafood regulation from a wide array of angles. Here are a few of the key issues to keep an eye on in 2023.

SIMP EXPANSION IS COMING

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program, commonly referred to as SIMP, was created in 2016 during the last days of the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama. The genesis of the program was the Presidential Task Force on Combatting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud, which was authorized by Obama in 2014.

The program initially focused on 11 species groups, which included products like Atlantic cod, red snapper, swordfish, and tunas. Initially, shrimp was left out of the program – but it too was added on to SIMP gradually by NOAA Fisheries.

The seafood industry and the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) have long opposed the program on the basis that it adds additional regulatory burdens to the industry without actually accomplishing its

goal. NFI Vice President of Communications Gavin Gibbons has said in the past that SIMP’s aim of stopping IUU hasn’t been accomplished in the years it has been running – NOAA itself acknowledged in 2022 that SIMP didn’t stop illegal products from entering the U.S. market.

Regardless of the seafood industry’s opposition, SIMP expansion is essentially all-but-inevitable at this point. At first, it seemed as though SIMP expansion would happen through an act of Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American COMPETES Act on 4 February – a legislation that would have expanded SIMP to cover every species entering U.S. ports. That bill eventually died in the Senate, but it didn’t signal an end to the pressure to expand SIMP.

The past year was a big one for the seafood industry in terms of actions either taken or proposed by the U.S. federal government –with some positive and negative news.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, and the U.S launched sanctions on Russian seafood, members in Congress again called for the expansion of SIMP and claimed that without it, any bans on Russian seafood would be “unenforceable.”

Pressure to combat IUU also started coming from the White House. U.S. President Joe Biden issued a broad memorandum on 27 June, 2022 calling for more work to fight against IUU due to its threat to American economic competitiveness and national security.

Even more recently, the U.S. House again called on NOAA to expand SIMP and provide a timeline for when it would cover all species.

Now, at the start of 2023, it seems as though

SIMP expansion is finally taking real steps forward. Officials with NOAA Fisheries announced a plan to expand the program, with a proposal that would more than double the number of species targeted. The proposal would also clarify what importers are responsible for, and include new requirements that would force importers to keep electronic records of chain of custody data.

The public comment period on SIMP ends on 28 March, 2023. From there, NOAA will begin the process of considering what SIMP expansion might look like, and seafood importers should begin preparing for what it means.

A MARKETING BOARD GAINS TRACTION

In 2019, the idea of resurrecting a national seafood marketing effort came up during a meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee panel. That meeting triggered a groundswell of affirming businesses and individuals who sent a letter to Congress supporting the necessary appropriations to revive the National Seafood Council – the original name of the marketing board back in 1986. More than 60 organizations wrote to Congress in 2021 asking for it to be brought back, calling for USD 25 million (EUR 23 million) to fund the marketing effort.

Last year in September, the Seafood Marketing Act of 2022 managed to make it all the way to the Senate floor, where it was read twice and sent to the committee on commerce, science, and transportation.

Since then, the Senate has passed an omnibus spending budget that includes language requesting NOAA provide a report to the committee that would detail how the agency would facilitate a National Seafood Council.

LOBSTER GETS A REPRIEVE

The U.S. lobster fishery has also been subject to federal actions lately, with the fishery being taken on a roller-coaster ride in 2022.

A federal judge ruled for a second time in 2022 that the U.S. lobster fishery was violating the Endangered Species Act due to insufficient protections for critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales. The ruling forced NOAA Fisheries to either come up with changes to how the fishery is managed, or institute fishing bans.

The federal actions had ripple effects throughout the U.S. lobster industry, with the Maine fishery losing its Marine Stewardship Council rating as a result. The fishery also received a red-listing from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program.

The latest federal action, coming in the omnibus funding budget, arrived at the last minute to spare the fishery from closure. A rider authored and advocated for by both the Congressional delegation of the U.S. state of Maine – comprised of U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden – and Maine Governor Janet Mills made it into the budget that passed.

The rider to the budget deems the current rules sufficient through 31 December, 2028, and provides that new regulations for the fishery would take effect in six years. It also authorizes a new grant program to “promote the innovation and adoption of gear technologies in the fisheries.”

Now, the industry has six years to perform more research to help determine whether the fishery needs to take additional steps to comply with the Endangered Species Act.

FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PURCHASES AND DISASTERS

The federal government spent big in 2022 to help fisheries impacted by disasters, and to purchase seafood for federal programs.

In December, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the approval of a series of fishery disaster requests for crab and salmon fisheries in the U.S. states of Alaska and Washington. A related USD 300 million (EUR 276 million) funding request to pay affected crabbers and fishers and to support research and habitat restoration was also added into the 2022 omnibus appropriations bill.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also stepped up its spending on seafood, and the organization announced early in the year that it planned to purchase more domestic fish and shellfish in 2022. Throughout 2022, the department made a number of big seafood buys, including a USD 5.7 million (EUR 5.2 million) purchase of breaded, oven-ready catfish and a USD 31 million (EUR 28.5 million) set of contracts sent to Pacific Northwest seafood suppliers in early September.

Signs point to the purchases continuing: The USDA kicked off 2023 with a USD 8 million (EUR 7.3 million) contract for salmon in early January.

The federal actions had ripple effects through the U.S. lobster industry, with the Maine fishery losing its Marine Stewardship Council rating as a result.

Peter Pan, Ocean Beauty, and Trident Seafoods products sing at 2023 Alaska Symphony of Seafood

BY MADELYN KEARNS

Product innovation is a life-force for Alaska’s fishing communities and the seafood industry as a whole, according to the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF). That’s why the Alaska Symphony of Seafood, a competition for commercial-ready value‐added products made from Alaska seafood, has been spotlighting product ingenuity for nearly three decades.

Beyond the Plate

Choice

“PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT is critically important to the entire industry and the fishing communities that depend on it,” the AFDF said. “Innovative new products position the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers.”

The latest competition saw chefs, seafood writers, seafood buyers, and other industry experts enlisted to help select the best new Alaska seafood products launched within three distinct categories: Retail, Foodservice, and Beyond the Plate. The judges were also charged with selecting the winners of six specialty awards, including the Grand Prize, Salmon Choice, Whitefish Choice, Seattle and Juneau People’s Choice, and Bristol Bay Choice.

“We added new categories to give high quality products opportunities for recognition. This resulted in an increased number and variety of products submitted. What’s clear is that Alaska seafood companies are becoming increasingly nimble, tackling challenges and market changes with product innovation. Companies that entered products in the Symphony are leading the way with noteworthy and highly appealing new products,” Julie Decker, the executive director for AFDF, said of the addition of the special awards in 2022.

Offerings were scored based on a variety of factors, such as product packaging and presentation, overall eating experience, price, and potential for commercial success.

In the 2023 Retail category, Wild Caught Alaska Salmon with Ribbon Kelp Chimichurri, produced by Peter Pan Seafood, took home the first-place prize, while Ocean Beauty Seafoods nabbed the top spot in Foodservice for its Ocean Beauty Grill House Burger.

Trident Seafoods’ Pure Catch - Wild Alaska Omega-3 Triple Strength was the 2023 winner for Beyond the Plate, which encompasses products featuring seafood waste or byproducts in applications outside of human consumption.

Meanwhile, the Seattle People’s Choice honor went to Barnacle Foods for its Kelp Chili Crisp, and the Bristol Bay Choice was awarded to Wild Salmon Chowder, produced by Thunder’s Catch.

All the first-place winners in the contest, as well as the Grand Prize winner, have scored booth space here at this year’s Seafood Expo North America event, and are entered into the Seafood Excellence Awards, which will be announced on Sunday, 12 March, 2023. Additionally, all Symphony entrants are receiving initial consulting services with the AFDF Startup Accelerator (formerly the Alaska Ocean Cluster), a new perk of the contest.

Judges for the 2023 Alaska Symphony of Seafood included Molly Brown of Holland America Line; Rosa Luquin and Michael Mills of Sysco; David Glass of Big Max Burger Company/Eden Hill Hospitality; Nick Novello of Miner’s Landing/Pier 57; BT Thompson of Rogge; Kimberly Valverde of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI); Daniela Klimsova of Bristol Bay Regional Development Association (BBRSDA); and Cynthia Nims of Mon Appetit LLC.

Key sponsors included ASMI, BBRSDA, Alaska Air Cargo, the At-Sea Processors Association, the Marine Stewardship Council, Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, American Seafoods, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, the Global Seafood Alliance, Kwik’Pak Fisheries, Marel, Matson, the Northwest Fisheries Association, the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, Trident Seafoods, UniSea, and United Fishermen of Alaska.

2023 New Products Contest Winners

Wild Caught Alaska Salmon with Ribbon Kelp Chimichurri by Peter Pan Seafoods

WHITEFISH

Wild Caught Crispy Beer

Battered Cod by Alaskan Leader Seafoods

Kelp Chili Crisp by Barnacle Foods

VISIT US AT BOOTH #1739

MAJOR SPONSORS

Ocean Beauty Grill House Burger by Ocean Beauty Seafoods

Pure Catch Wild Alaska Omega-3 Triple Strength by Trident Seafoods BRISTOL

Wild Salmon Chowder by Thunder’s Catch

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN seafood and climate change is complex. Many aspects of seafood’s production and management are vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change and, at the same time, seafood or blue foods are increasingly recognized as a critical element for more climatefriendly global food systems – food production is a key driver for climate change, with estimates as high as 30 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Protecting seafood resources; understanding impacts and designing appropriate responses; addressing outside drivers impacting seafood; and advocating for seafood as an important tool in the fight against climate change all require an integrated strategy and coordinated response to position seafood as the healthy, climate-friendly protein of the future.

As seafood companies try to understand the business implications of climate impacts on their supply chains and how to best respond, here is a quick introduction to four strategies essential to protecting the seafood industry and the planet:

1. Reduce the seafood industry’s contribution to climate change

2. Make the seafood industry and seafood resources more resilient to climate change

3. Promote seafood and blue foods’ contribution to more climate-friendly global food systems

4. Increase the seafood industry’s voice in global climate policy

Reducing the seafood industry’s contribution to climate change

Seafood is already one of the most climate-

Cutting through the

BY NED DALY

friendly proteins available and companies that supply it continue to find new ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Firms are adopting existing climate-friendly practices – such as adding solar power or improving the efficiency of cold-chain operations – while also developing seafood-specific climate innovation, including artificial intelligence for efficient trip planning or the use of electric boats in certain fisheries, as well as awarding grants and prizes to get more seafood companies engaged in the fight against climate change.

These efforts show real leadership from companies in the seafood industry and highlight the sector’s interest in doing its part to address climate change. These types of efforts also provide a direct return on investment to companies through increased efficiency and reduced energy costs. Supply-chains are also the focus of most sustainability tools – certification, audits, pledges and commitments, even the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – which all evaluate improvement of internal practices as a measure of success. A company’s own supply chain is the right place to start to address climate change, but the work shouldn’t stop there. The main drivers for climate change, and the uncertainty it brings to the industry and seafood-dependent communities, lie beyond seafood supply chains.

The industry and its partners need to continue efforts to reduce seafood’s contribution to climate change, but the sector also needs to get more

selfish when addressing the conundrum at hand. The industry needs to advocate for governments to invest in climate-resilient fisheries, and it needs to promote the importance of seafood in a diet that is healthier for people and the planet. Moreover, the sector needs to have its voice heard in international policy development around climate.

This is not about the politics of climate change. Policy is being developed now in response to climate change with or without the engagement of the seafood industry, and resources are being deployed to address the economic impacts of climate change in very much the same manner. Additionally, solutions and innovation are being designed that may or may not account for seafood’s positive contribution to more sustainable food systems, and harmful climate practices continue outside of the seafood industry that threaten the health of oceans and the long-term assured supply of seafood.

For the industry to engage more on climate issues requires the development of new models and approaches to increase the industry’s voice in multinational and global policy development. The good news is models are already being developed in seafood to support industry efforts to be more impactful in the policy arena.

Making the industry and seafood resources more climate resilient

Understanding the impact of a changing climate on fisheries is a complicated endeavor, but a better

complexity of climate change: 4 essential strategies for a healthy, resilient seafood industry

The seafood industry needs to think and act beyond the supply chain to protect producers, communities, and seafood resources.

scientific understanding of the potential effects on fisheries in different regions is currently being built. The industry is also beginning to understand what climate-resilient fisheries look like. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Lead Senior Scientist Kristin Kleisner has been working on a starting point for the application of climate resilience concepts to the social-ecological systems associated with fisheries. EDF recently launched a Climate Resilient Fisheries Tool Kit to support fishers and communities in their work towards climate-resilient fisheries.

As the industry and its partners like EDF prepare for potential future impacts on stocks and communities, the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) is already responding to the inability of fisheries management and policy to adapt to shifting stocks, and serves as a model for industry engagement in policy.

“From 2006, the Northeast Atlantic mackerel stock expanded its summer feeding migration west- and northwards. It has been proposed that the increasing availability of mackerel in the waters of Iceland and the Faroe Islands, drove these coastal states to increase their catches. Iceland increased their national annual quota from 363 [metric tons (MT)] in 2005 to 112,353 [MT] in 2008, and the Faroe Islands increased theirs from 9,770 in 2005 to 122,985 [MT] in 2011,” NAPA Project Lead Tom Pickerell said.

The shift in stocks and increased national annual quotas have triggered a breakdown in management that is impacting the market, Pickerell said.

“Between 2000 and 2009, the coastal states were able to agree on an overall [total allowable catches (TAC)] allocation that adhered to the scientific advice. Since 2009, there has been no such agreement – the TAC has exceeded the scientific advice; the coastal states are overfishing. As a result of this, the valuable Marine Stewardship Council certification was finally

suspended from the four mackerel fisheries in the Northeast Atlantic in 2019,” Pickerell noted.

NAPA has developed a new model for precompetitive collaborations in seafood that allows its coalition of 60 seafood company and retail members to engage with decision-makers and drive management in the interest of long-term assured supply for the seafood industry.

“We are working to secure an agreement on TACs in line with scientific advice, as well as long-term science-based fisheries management strategies. Most have never advocated for policy change before, and NAPA provides a coordinated framework, the evidence-based asks, and the voice,” said Pickerell, who will speak on the “Increasing the Seafood Industry’s Voice in Global Climate Policy” panel with Kleisner at this year’s Seafood Expo North America (SENA) event.

Building climate-resilient fisheries requires more than just developing science and research – it also requires fishers and communities to understand how best to respond to what the science and research is telling them, and requires redesigning management to adapt to changing stocks and other climate impacts.

Promoting seafood and blue foods’ contribution to more climate-friendly global food systems

Using the growing body of research and evidence on seafood’s importance to sustainable global food systems, EDF, the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, and a coalition of governments, companies, and NGOs have formed the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition. The goal of the coalition is to raise the profile of aquatic foods in the context of food systems overall and to mobilize support for projects that drive implementation of sustainable blue food priority objectives.

Tim Fitzgerald, the chief sustainability officer for American Seafoods, will be speaking on a panel titled “Claiming a Place at the Table for Sustainable Seafood as Food Production Takes Center Stage in the Climate Crisis” at SENA 2023, which will highlight the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition and the need for greater industry engagement in food system and climate policy. Fitzgerald wants to make sure the industry does not miss this critical opportunity.

“We are at a crucial time in history when the future of the global food system is being dissected and reimagined. Sustainable fishing and aquaculture are not only a key

source of climate-friendly nutrition, they offer a wide range of shovel-ready solutions to many of our greatest food challenges. However, our industry is often missing from these critical debates. Now more than ever we need to engage as a unified voice at all levels to ensure that ‘blue’ is at the heart of the global food transformation,” Fitzgerald said.

Increasing the seafood industry’s voice in global climate policy

The story of seafood and its positive contribution to healthy people and a healthy planet needs to be heard in international climate policy development – it’s imperative to global food security and sustainable food systems, and serves as an economic driver for coastal communities that may have few other opportunities for income or industry.

While NAPA has created a platform to increase the seafood industry’s voice in how management responds to changing stocks – and the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition has done the same in the realm of global food systems policy – there is less of a foothold for the industry to influence international, national, and regional climate policy development. The industry’s sway regarding how money is spent on mitigation, resilience, and transformation efforts is also an area into which it could put more effort.

How to increase the seafood industry’s voice in the global policy arena is an issue Seafood2030 will be looking at over the next year. The problem of ocean plastics tracks very closely with climate change and seafood – there are certain things the industry currently does and can do to address its contribution to ocean plastics, such as acting on ghost gear. But the vast majority of ocean plastics comes from outside the industry and, thus, to address those sources of ocean pollution, seafood stakeholders need to develop new ways to positively make an overarching difference.

As EDF’s Kleisner points out, the key to success for the industry will be working on all aspects of the climate challenge.

“We are continuing to learn more about how climate change is impacting fish stocks and we are gaining insights into the elements of climate resilient fisheries and the types of interventions that we might deploy to improve the nimbleness and effectiveness of fisheries management. We need to complement these findings with information from the industry. In particular, this sector also needs to have its voice heard in global policy discussions to advocate for blue foods and their positive impact on global food systems. This will help to address the drivers of climate change outside of the seafood industry that are having negative impacts on people and nature,” Kleisner said.

“Sustainable fishing and aquaculture are not only a key source of climate-friendly nutrition, they offer a wide range of shovelready solutions to many of our greatest food challenges.”

LISA WALLENDA PICARD

NFI’s new president dives into the seafood industry

BY CHRIS CHASE

Lisa Wallenda Picard was picked to be the next president of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) last year, replacing longtime president John Connelly, who died in November 2022 after being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer.

Wallenda Picard brings with her decades of experience advocating for industry, most recently serving as the senior vice president of the National Turkey Federation. Wallenda Picard shared how the first few months of her tenure with NFI have gone, and what issues she anticipates NFI and the seafood industry will need to tackle in the coming year.

SeafoodSource: How did you get picked to serve as the next president of NFI?

WALLENDA PICARD: It was a really great phone call that started the whole process. I’ve been in [Washington] D.C., U.S.A. for almost 30 years, and in the association world for a long time, and so I was obviously aware of NFI. The advocacy world is a small one, and I knew that there are a bunch of great people here.

I got a call from a recruiter, and I was explaining that I’m not a fish expert – even though I love to eat it! And they assured me I didn’t need to be a fish expert, because there are some of the best fish experts in the world on staff – that’s not what they were hiring for. They needed somebody who could run an association – and I said, “We should talk because I can do that.”

SeafoodSource: What was your history in the association industry prior to joining NFI?

WALLENDA PICARD: I grew up in Florida, and then I came up to D.C. for a three-month internship with the White House – and I’m sure I’m going to go home any day. Now it’s been 30 years.

I worked in an association early on, which was around the year 2000, and kind of got into the animal agriculture role. I worked for Ringling Brothers for a time, that was more for live animals. Then I went over to the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture], and then from there I went over to the National Turkey Federation, and

I was at that association for 11 years. That was a nice combination – to be able to use my live-side experience and bring the USDA experience into the industry side.

SeafoodSource: What are some of the similarities you’re seeing between your time with the National Turkey Federation and NFI?

WALLENDA PICARD: So regulators, I don’t want to say they’re all the same, but they do tend to work from a single pinpoint: Most of them really want to solve problems. We just have to show them what the solution is, and a lot time the solution comes down to realizing the problem doesn’t actually exist.

A lot of it is working with them to say, “Okay, we understand you’re concerned about ‘X,’ but that’s not really the problem – the problem is really that over here we’re not able to ‘X’ or the industry isn’t able to use this piece.” Going back to turkey, salmonella was always a big issue, and they want very simple solutions. But the science didn’t always exist to do what they wanted. So why are you going to write a regulation on something that can’t actually happen? Why don’t you talk to the people who know what’s going on? Essentially, we said we understand that your goal, with turkey, is to reduce foodborne illness. So then let’s figure out what can actually happen.

I see my role as being a translator of sorts, between the regulatory folks who know what they want

to do, but they’re not sure how to do it, and the industry people who know how to do it, but aren’t always exactly sure what the regulatory people are asking for.

It’s important for us in the industry to remember the pressures that the government folks are under. They all have bosses in various shapes and forms – sometimes it’s Capitol Hill, sometimes it’s an NGO or the media – there’s all kinds of pressures that they’re experiencing. If we can come in with a solution, instead of just complaining, we can usually get a better result for us, and get a better result for them.

SeafoodSource: Speaking of regulatory pressure, are you getting a sense for what the seafood industry needs to be preparing for?

WALLENDA PICARD: There’s a couple of things that are coming at us from the regulatory front. SIMP [Seafood Import Monitoring Program] and traceability are issues, and the team here is pretty phenomenal, but traceability is three years out and we have to figure out ways for our members to understand what is now required of them. The challenge with seafood is that there’s so many different species, and so people are impacted in a different way.

We want to be sure we’re tailoring to what our members need. But then that also goes back to the other end, when working with a regulator. These folks are all different, and it sounds really great to sit in a room and say, “Hey, we’re going to know where every piece of fish comes from, and we’re going to know every fishing vessel, and every port,” but – what is the phrase from the movie? “They can’t handle the truth.” The truth is, that volume of traceability information isn’t always an effective tool. Data for data’s sake just gets you data. There needs to be a targeted strategy behind it. So, you know the captain’s name… great. Now what? What do they really want to accomplish? Then, how can we make sure that industry can actually do that,

and how industry can do that and still remain feeding the world.

SeafoodSource: Have you attended industry trade shows over the course of your career? What do you think the value of trade shows is, and businesses coming together in such a way?

WALLENDA PICARD: I’ve absolutely attended industry trade shows with the poultry industry, and their version of GSMC [NFI’s Global Seafood Marketing Conference].

I don’t want to say I’m old school, and I realize we all just came through a pandemic, but to me, face-toface is priceless. That kind of business, I don’t think that that ever goes away. Yes, we have benefits now that everyone has kind of figured out Zoom, and it does make it easier in a moment. But, nothing ever fully replaces that, whether it’s in Palm Springs, whether it’s in Boston, whether it’s in Barcelona. These are going to remain a major part of what NFI does. You just can’t replicate the conversations that you can have at these events.

SeafoodSource: What do you hope to come away with from attending Seafood Expo North America?

WALLENDA PICARD: I’m really hoping I will put a few more faces with companies. For our industry, Boston is vital. They get all the information for the new year beginning at GSMC – but Boston is where they execute. So, I want to do my version of executing on our issues there, too.

SeafoodSource: Where do you think the industry should place its focus in 2023?

WALLENDA PICARD: I want to make sure that we really drive home the message of the health profile that seafood has across the board.

I would also like to see if we can, big picture, make sure we’re addressing if people might be nervous about cooking seafood. I’ve started to see some really cool innovative products that seafood is doing in order to make it easier to produce in the home. We had the big bump during COVID when everyone was home all the time. Now folks are getting back, and maybe looking more for the convenient products. Is there an area there that we can grow? That may be happening – that’s just knowledge areas I need to learn myself.

SeafoodSource: on the seafood industry’s attempts to create a national marketing board? Do you have

experience with those sorts of entities from your past work?

WALLENDA PICARD: Everybody always wants to do the big splash and obviously drive consumption of products, but that’s a really heavy lift, and I think sometimes it’s important for us to really think through where we can be impactful and effective. In the National Turkey Federation, we kind of switched back and forth trying to find exactly what was the right combination.

SeafoodSource: How have you felt so far working with the seafood industry? Is there anything you want those in the industry to know?

WALLENDA PICARD: I guess it’s important to know that I’m an absolute total geek and I am so excited. Alright, so this is how much of a geek I am: For our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband put together a trip and I told him I wanted to go on a crab boat. Literally there’s a picture in my office of my 25th wedding anniversary of me on my crab boat, and I got to throw the hook out, and I was so excited. What our members do is so cool. I really take feeding the world very seriously, and I’m very proud to represent the people who do that.

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In Loving Memory of JOHN P. CONNELLY

JANUARY 31, 1961 –

HE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY lost one of its greatest titans, longtime National Fisheries Institute (NFI) President and CEO John Connelly, late last year.

“John led our organization with passion and a steadfast hand for nearly 20 years. He was a warm, generous man and his legacy will have an impact on NFI and the seafood industry for decades to come,” NFI said upon Connelly’s passing in November 2022.

At the helm of NFI for nearly two decades, Connelly helped shape the organization into the leading U.S. seafood industry trade group. Additionally, he created the Better Seafood Board, the Global Seafood Market Conference, and the Seafood Nutrition Partnership; led the merger of the National Tuna Federation and subsequent development of the NFI council system; and served on multiple industry boards.

“It’s been a long year with a lot of losses, and I think – as I look back – the loss of John Connelly is one of the hardest ones,” Trident Seafoods CEO Joe Bundrant said. “There’s people in your life that you work with, and you have a rapport,

NOVEMBER 20, 2022

but with John and I, it was much more than that. We shaped an industry trade and built a business. We raised families together – raising kids and drivers’ licenses and daughters dating and going off to college and getting married and becoming grandparents. To be able to share 20 years of my life with a man like that, I feel honored and blessed.”

Connelly left an “indelible impact” on the lives of NFI’s staff, the organization said.

“He was a hard-working boss whose naval officer pedigree taught him to lead from the front. He was a warm-hearted father figure who cared deeply about those around him. He was a tough, honest, and funny man – with a genuine twinkle in his eye and a story for every occasion. He was someone who wrote postcards to family and friends from his travels around the world. He was a man of deep faith and happiest spending time with his family,” NFI said.

John’s seafood family remembers him here in photographs, snapped over the course of his storied industry voyage.

Photos courtesy of the National Fisheries Institute

MEET THE SEAFOODSOURCE EDITORS

CLIFF WHITE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Cliff White has served as the executive editor of SeafoodSource since 2016. Previously, he was a communications specialist and content strategist at the University of Wisconsin, and prior to that, senior business reporter for the McClatchyowned Centre Daily Times in State College, Pennsylvania, where he won state and national awards for his coverage of the development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas deposit and the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He lives in Portland, Maine.

REACH CLIFF AT: cwhite@divcom.com

CHRIS CHASE EDITOR

Chris Chase is the Portland, Maine-based editor of SeafoodSource and an expert on the global seafood industry. Since starting his foray into seafood, he has traveled to seafood trade shows around the world and hosted multiple informative panels featuring experts on aquaculture, sustainability, market trends, and more. Previously, he worked covering local issues at the Coastal Journal in Bath, Maine, where he won multiple awards from the Maine Press Association for his news coverage and food reviews. Chris is a graduate of the University of Maine, and got his start in writing by serving as a reporter and the state editor of The Maine Campus, an awardwinning campus newspaper.

REACH CHRIS AT cchase@divcom.com

MADELYN KEARNS EDITORIAL PROJECT MANAGER

Madelyn Kearns is the editorial project manager for SeafoodSource. Before diving into seafood writing, editing, and infographic-designing, she was the associate editor for an online publication geared toward small to mid-sized practice physicians, Medical Practice Insider. Maddie is a graduate of the University of Maine, where she served as a columnist and the opinion editor for the university’s paper, The Maine Campus, and won a Grady Award in Creative Writing for her poetry. She lives under a mountain of books in South Portland, Maine with her cat, Pierre.

REACH MADDIE AT: mkearns@divcom.com

NED DALY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Ned Daly is a sustainability strategist with Diversified Communications. He has worked on sustainable markets in a variety of resources for 25 years. Ned worked in seafood for the last decade with SeaWeb. Previously, he was director of RugMark International (now GoodWeave), a certification program for child-labor-free rugs coming from Southeast Asia. He also served as chief operating officer for the Forest Stewardship Council in the United States, managing relationships with industry leaders and a diversity of key stakeholders including conservation nongovernment organizations, policymakers, and industry trade associations. Ned has also worked on sustainable markets in the agricultural sector and the relationship between resource extraction and ecosystem health. He lives in Alfred, Maine.

REACH NED AT: ndaly@divcom.com

BHAVANA SCALIA-BRUCE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Bhavana Scalia-Bruce is the Portland, Maine-based associate editor of SeafoodSource. She attended the University of Maine studying journalism and Spanish. Before joining the SeafoodSource team, Bhavana worked for DownEast magazine as an editorial intern, and as a columnist and business manager for UMaine’s awardwinning student newspaper, The Maine Campus. In her free time, when not writing, Bhavana can be found drinking coffee with her head buried in a book, trying out new restaurants around Portland, or spending time with her Siamese cat. As a newbie to the industry, Bhavana is eager to learn all things seafood.

REACH BHAVANA AT: bscaliabruce@divcom.com

As the official media for Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, SeafoodSource will be a constant presence on the show floor and in the conference wing. Get to know the team and say hello when you see them in action.