Producer Resources
Marketing Resources
Seafood marketing has evolved to encompass many forms beyond selling to the traditional dockside buyer. New alternative markets shorten the supply chain by involving fishermen in the process of selling directly to consumers, food service operators or retailers. Examples of alternative markets include community supported fisheries, e-markets and restaurant sales.
Resources
- North Carolina Seafood Retail Permits
- Certain permits are required in North Carolina to legally operate a seafood retail business.
- Branding Seafood: Developing a Marketing Plan to Sell Value-Added Seafood Products
- New Business Models for Small-Scale Fishermen and Seafood Processors
- Using the Internet to Enhance Direct Market Sales of Seafood
- Market Your Catch
- This website provides information and resources about alternative marketing for seafood. This collaborative effort was led by California Sea Grant, with partners from Sea Grant programs in North Carolina and several other states.
- Preferences of Oyster Tourists
Community Supported Fisheries
In 2007, North Carolina Sea Grant pioneered the community supported fisheries concept, building upon the community supported agriculture business model. The CSF model has since spread to communities coast to coast in Alaska, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and South Carolina, as well as abroad to Australia and Canada.
Those operating or belonging to CSFs now sell seafood at premium prices to customers who value local products and personal relationships with their local fishermen. Direct sales also return more money to fishing communities, enhancing their economic vitality.
Seafood Safety
Effective seafood marketing depends foremost on maintaining safe, high-quality products. Seafood is highly perishable and when not handled and prepared correctly, consumption can lead to foodborne illnesses. Individuals selling seafood must learn and use proper handling and sanitation practices.
Resources
- Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Seafood safety steps and resources, Market Your Catch — Sea Grant
- Basic Seafood HACCP Online Training
- GMPs: Good Manufacturing Practices Online Training and Education
- Sea Grant seafood specialists from Delaware, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia and the United States Food and Drug Administration developed this distance-education, food-safety curriculum. GMPs describe the minimum sanitary requirements for producing safe food across a manufacturing facility and serve as one basis for inspections by the FDA.
- Guide to Seafood Sanitation Procedures/El Manjeo Seguro De Los Mariscos, North Carolina Sea Grant
- Self-Guide to Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point Inspection for Small Seafood Dealers, Packers and Processors, North Carolina Sea Grant
- Seafood Network Information Center, Oregon State University
- SeafoodNIC offers online seafood safety and quality resources for seafood processors, inspectors, researchers, importers and food educators.
Research Assessments
North Carolina Sea Grant and its partners research strategies to help the commercial fishing industry sell more local seafood within the state.
- Demand for N.C. Seafood and the Commercial Industry’s Economic Impact on the State
- A Supply Chain Analysis of North Carolina’s Commercial Fishing Industry
- A Comparative Case Study of Virginia and North Carolina’s Oyster Aquaculture Development
- Market Development for Cultured, North Carolina Sturgeon Meat (NC Fishery Resource Grant 13-ST- 02)
- Assessing Harvest Efficiencies and Consumer Demand for North Carolina Lionfish (RMG-1406)
- Discerning Consumer Acceptance and Market Outlets for North Carolina’s Cape Shark (ongoing R/MG project; final report coming soon)
- The Economic Impact of North Carolina’s Shellfish Mariculture Industry
Value-Added Products
North Carolina helps businesses make local seafood more convenient to prepare at home for consumers lacking the time or desire to prepare meals at home.
Resources
- Adding Value to Local Food, NC Cooperative Extension
- Example nondisclosure agreement (Word doc)
Case Studies
- Will They Take the Bait? Crafting Irresistible Seafood That Consumers Are Sure to Want. North Carolina Sea Grant evaluated consumer feedback on a pickled-shrimp salad, providing valuable insights for product refinement.
- Adding Value to Seafood: Facilitating Innovation through Partnerships: North Carolina Sea Grant worked with Sunburst Trout Farms in Canton, North Carolina, to enhance the value of underutilized rainbow trout meat by formulating a tasty, cost-effective trout burger.
- Value-Added Technology: Developing a Smoked Soft Crab
- Ready-To-Sell: Developing Value-Added Seafood Products: This case study details how North Carolina Sea Grant worked with Pamlico Packing Company in Grantsboro, North Carolina, to develop a preservation system to extend the shelf life of refrigerated seafood dips and salads.
Contact
Barry Nash, Seafood Technology and Marketing Specialist
Email: barry_nash@ncsu.edu
Phone: 252-222-6337
Fax: 252-222-6335
Location: Morehead City