Old article still a good read...
Web posted Monday, August 23, 2004
Kodiak fishermen score with direct sales
By Laine Welch
For the Journal
"From the boat to dinner plates in a day!" That bold marketing strategy is being used so successfully by two Kodiak fishermen, it could open floodgates for more Alaska seafood to be sold directly to thousands of U.S. chefs.
Since the start of this summer's salmon season, fisherman Norm Botz has been processing sockeye salmon aboard his F/V Silversword, and at a call from logistics partner Mark Patterson, the fish is whisked via float plane to town. From there it's prepared for shipping via FedEx, which delivers it within 24 hours to chefs in the Lower 48.
The salmon is served up as Kodiak Island River Reds, a moniker that amuses Mark Patterson. "I told them these fish don't even sniff fresh water, they're out in the briny deep and they are primo. But these folks didn't want to hear that, they wanted 'em riverized," he said, relating it to the market's recognition of the popular salmon from Copper River.
Their company, Silversword Seafoods, is sending out about 500 pounds comprised of mostly salmon fillets each week, and Patterson expects that will easily triple by next summer. He declined to talk prices, but said all costs are being covered.
"We've shipped out two free samples and the rest have been money boxes," Patterson said.
Botz and Patterson created their marketing marvel on their own, with no assistance from grants or local groups. The two traveled to a Florida seafood event last spring to promote Kodiak salmon, and connected with specialty distributor, Food Innovations Inc.
"We get everything from the source - the farm, the boat or ranch - directly to the chefs in 24 hours," said chef Joe DiMaggio Jr., Food Innovations founder and CEO. As a division of U.S. Food Service, Food Innovations services more than 22,000 chefs in restaurants ranging from casual dining to high-end resorts and casinos.
DiMaggio said his customers can't stop raving about the "intense flavor profile" of Kodiak's red salmon. "It is the most beautiful, pristine product. We've never seen quality like this before, because most of the salmon sold locally is a foreign product. The chefs say they can't wait to open the boxes because the fish smells just like the ocean," DiMaggio said in a phone interview from Naples, Fla. He added that chefs find it "incredibly sexy" to place an order for Alaska salmon one morning and have it there the next day.
"It's mind boggling to them," he said.
DiMaggio believes U.S. chefs will take all the top-quality Alaska seafood they can get - including pink salmon and frozen products. "We are very excited about developing a relationship with Alaska fishermen," he said.
Botz and Patterson will continue providing Kodiak reds and cohos to customers through September before expanding into halibut. "We're not stopping at salmon," Patterson said. That's good news to DiMaggio.
"Short of flying to Alaska for dinner, it's the freshest alternative you can get," DiMaggio said.
Chef DiMaggio said he would welcome calls from any Alaska fishermen looking for a venue in America to distribute their products.
Contact him at (239) 596-0204 or via e-mail at chefjoe@foodinno.com.
Asia wants Alaska jellyfish
Seafood is Alaska's No. 1 export and while it's common to get requests for pollock, salmon, or flounders, a query last week for Alaska jellyfish was a first.
"In 15 years I've never had a request for it," said Chuck Becker, director of the Anchorage-based Alaska Export Assistance Center.
For thousands of years, Asians have used jellyfish to treat medical conditions, like high blood pressure. It is described as having a crunchy texture that is "music to the teeth," and all kinds of jellyfish are eaten dried, salted, sauced and sliced. It is commonly served atop salad, in soups or as appetizers in upscale restaurants. Bites of jellyfish that give a buzz to the lips are also a rage.
Florida and Georgia shrimpers, who, like Alaska salmon fishermen are being hammered by cheaper imports, have developed an alternate fishery with local cannonball jellyfish, dubbed jellyballs. Fishermen reportedly can fill their trawl nets with jellyballs in 15 minutes, and quickly load up with 120,000 pounds valued at $7,000 to $10,000 per trip. "I told the fishermen, 'You don't need to love this creature. You just need to process it because other guys want to eat it and you can make money,'" Yao-Wen Huang, a seafood expert at the University of Georgia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.
To date, there has been no interest in jellyfish among Alaska fishermen, according to Doug Mecum, director of the state's commercial fisheries division. No one even seems to really know what species or how many jellyfish there might be in Alaska waters. Nevertheless, Chuck Becker has a "very interested" buyer who is asking for photographs of available species.
He advised that interested fishermen or processors should check with Alaska Department of Fish and Game before trying to make a sale. As part of the U.S. Commerce Department's network in nearly 90 countries, Becker's office can help with jellyfish or nearly all other foreign transactions.
"Our job is to connect the buyer and seller and provide any guidance necessary along the way. Usually, once they get together we don't need to be in the picture any longer," he said.
Contact the Alaska Export Assistance Center at (907) 271-6237 or chuck.becker@mail.doc.gov.
Edible plastic wrap
Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a seafood based wrapping that not only helps keep food fresh, it can also be safely eaten. Drs. Yanyun Zhao and Mark Daeschel invented the wrap after experimenting with chitosan, an ingredient in crab and shrimp shells, and lysozyme, a protein from egg whites. The wrap contains natural preservatives and can be fortified with vitamins and minerals. Used in liquid form, it can also be sprayed on fresh foods such as fruit to keep them fresher. As quoted on Seafood.com, Daeschel said, "These are naturally occurring ingredients. The chitosan is derived from shells, much of which is otherwise wasted. By combining the two, we have added greater value."
Kodiak-based free-lance writer Laine Welch can be reached via e-mail at msfish@alaska.com.
