PORTLAND, Maine—The meat industry has its "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" promotion. Pork producers market their product as "the other white meat." Now, the U.S. seafood industry is preparing to cast its own marketing net in a bid to reel in more consumers.
More than 50 fishing and seafood organizations from 24 states have signed on to the National Seafood Marketing Coalition, a group that's working on a national plan to better market American seafood and is hoping for help from the federal government. Organizers say promotion, new product development, education and other marketing means will strengthen the U.S. seafood economy and generate jobs.
"Our experience is that a little bit of marketing goes a long way," said Dane Somers, executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council who has been active with the national group. "Since nobody's doing much, when you do a little bit it's noticeable."
Americans eat a lot of seafood; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates they spent about $75.5 billion on fishery products in 2009.
In 2009, they consumed 4.8 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, or 15.8 pounds per person. However, 84 percent of that seafood was imported, up from 68 percent in 2000 and 54 percent in 1995, NOAA says.
But it's not just imports that domestic seafood producers are up against, said Bruce Schactler, a Kodiak, Alaska, fisherman who's serving as the coalition's volunteer director. The industry also competes against other proteins, such as meat, chicken and pork, as well as other foods, he said.
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