July 29, 2014 — When people think of New Jersey — the Garden State — they usually think of fresh produce.
However, in 2012, New Jersey landed 108.5 million pounds of fin and shell fish, valued at $187.7 million, according to Lynne Richmond, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture.
The Port of Cape May itself is ranked 11th in the nation for value of landings which totaled $72 million in 2012.
Not to mention, the commercial fishing industry accounts for more than 50,700 jobs in the state.
Joe Atchison, agriculture marketing specialist for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, said the Jersey Seafood label serves as both a marketing/branding program and as a quality grading program.
"Any wild-harvest fish or shellfish landed in New Jersey may be referred to as 'Jersey Seafood,'" Atchison said. "However, for aquacultured (farm-raised) shellfish to carry the designation of Jersey Seafood on its packaging, the grower must have an Aquatic Farmer License issued by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the product must follow strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) guidelines for safe storage and shipping to assure freshness and quality."
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