March 17, 2021 — Almost exactly a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the North American seafood industry to confront an ultimatum: adapt or risk perishing. By and large, seafood suppliers on the continent chose the former, opting to transform their businesses to succeed in a drastically changed market, according to a panel of industry insiders, speaking at this week’s Seafood Expo North America Reconnect.
Ocean Wise Conservation Association Fisheries and Seafood Director Sophika Kostyniuk, who moderated the panel session “Prioritizing Responsible Seafood in Uncertain Times,” said the industry had to act reflexively as COVID-19 and its new social order riddled supply chains with “challenges, uncertainties, and unknowns.”