Fresh from the 2011 International Boston Seafood Show, the foreign buyers spent a day in the Whaling City — the nation's top-grossing fishing port for 10 straight years — as part of an annual effort to put local seafood companies face to face with their global markets.
New Bedford's harbor "is a seamless highway to the world," Mayor Scott W. Lang told the buyers, who represented Barbados, China, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand and took lunch at New Bedford's Waterfront Grille. "We would absolutely welcome a partnership with you."
These partnerships can spell big money, as evident in the fact that Massachusetts' exports of fish, crustaceans and aquatic invertebrates represented $392 million in 2010, according to the Massachusetts Export Center, which coordinated the tour. Food Export USA-Northeast sponsored buyer visits, while several local companies gave the event sponsorship and support.
"The international buying community helps with our import deficit," said Richard Canastra of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction, who also said increasing international demand for scallops plays a role in their current high prices. "Our dollar is weaker right now compared to the currency overseas, so it's a good scenario for exporting product out of the United States."
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