May 13, 2019 โ The USโ two largest squid catchers and suppliers are taking a similar tack when it comes to plans to boost consumption of their species: product innovation at home targeted at millennials, and the recent Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of their fisheries to open up new markets, particularly in Europe.
The companies โNarragansett, Rhode Island-based The Town Dock and Cape May, New Jersey-based Lundโs Fisheries โ recently teamed up to receive MSC approval for the US Northwest northern shortfin squid (Illex Illecebrosus) fishery. This comes nearly a year after obtaining the MSCโs stamp for the US Northeast longfin inshore squid (Loligo pealeii) bottom trawl fishery last year, the worldโs first MSC certification for a squid species. The two firms also catch California market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) and harvest or procure a wide range of other squid and fish species.
Americans donโt consume a lot of squids โ in 2015, the average US consumer ate around four ounces per year, roughly equivalent to a serving of fried calamari rings. Thatโs where the opportunity lies, Jeff Reichle, Lundโs president, told Undercurrent News.