'Threats and challenges'

A new annual report from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute sees a number of "threats and challenges for Alaska in the global marketplace."

Among the listed items:

• Chilean salmon farmers have greatly increased production and are on track to fully rebound from devastating outbreaks of the ISA virus, infectious salmon anemia.

• Funding could be reduced for the Market Access Program, which helps promote American products abroad. The federal program has allocated millions of dollars to ASMI in years past.

• Aquaculture continues to increase its percentage of world seafood supply, with Alaska's share now down to 1.3 percent.

• With increases in the value of state's wild salmon, halibut and other species, Alaska producers face "price resistance" in the marketplace.

• Alaska always has been an expensive place to operate, and it's getting worse with rising fuel and transportation costs.

The big show

The place to be this weekend is Boston.

The International Boston Seafood Show, running Sunday through Tuesday, is a giant exhibition — one that many in Alaska's fishing industry find well worth the transcontinental flight.

It's a must event for seafood marketers and dealmakers.

No surprise, then, to find the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute among the show's exhibitors, right there with the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission, the U.S. Catfish Institute, the Norwegian Seafood Council and many others.

Top Alaska seafood processors such as Trident, Icicle, Peter Pan and Ocean Beauty will be there, too, along with competitors like salmon farming giant Marine Harvest.

The show also features a slate of panel discussions.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will deliver opening remarks for a panel on "Seafood Jobs in America."

Another panel will feature aquaculture consultant John Forster. You might recall he once wrote a rather ominous report for the state of Alaska on halibut farming.

The show website offers this description of Forster's planned talk:

Through a collaborative effort among academia, officials, farmers and financiers, Chile's salmon aquaculture industry has made a strong recovery from the impacts of a major disease outbreak. Forster will describe how lessons learned there can be proactively applied in other regions.

Sounds interesting. Too bad Deckboss will be stuck here in the Anchorage snow.

MSC 'corrects' ASMI statements

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's "own, locally developed scheme" for certifying fisheries is not comparable to the Marine Stewardship Council's "global standard," the London-based MSC says.

Read much more here.

The spin from ASMI

A state agency, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, has issued a press release addressing yesterday's news that the bulk of Alaska's salmon industry will allow its Marine Stewardship Council certification to expire.

The release quotes Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, state Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell, ASMI Executive Director Ray Riutta and United Fishermen of Alaska chief Arni Thomson.

The general message seems to be, "We don't really need MSC certification."

Alaska salmon is covered under an alternative certification, ASMI notes.

The governor goes to London

Gov. Sean Parnell is promoting Alaska seafood as part of a European trade mission focused on fish — and oil, of course.

Here's a press release.

ASMI selects representative in Japan

Here's a brief announcement from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute website:

After an extensive RFP process that was conducted this summer, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is pleased to announce that AVIAREPS Marketing Garden (Holdings) Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan was selected and will be its new In-Country representative in Japan to market Alaska Seafood effective Oct 1, 2011.

Bundrant, Wallace to continue on ASMI board

Here's some news from the office of Gov. Sean Parnell:



Sept. 2, 2011



Gov. Sean Parnell has reappointed Joe Bundrant and Bruce Wallace to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors. The institute promotes Alaska seafood and develops market-oriented quality specifications.



Bundrant, of Seattle, has served as the vice president of sales and marketing for Trident Seafoods Corp. since 1997. Prior to that, he served as the president of the Rogge Commission Co. from 1994 to 1997. He is a former district manager for Sysco in Seattle and worked as a regional sales manager for Trident from 1985 to 1989. Bundrant also worked as a commercial fisherman in Western Alaska, where he fished in Bristol Bay, Togiak, Norton Sound and the Shumigan Islands. Bundrant is reappointed to a seat reserved for the representative of a large seafood processor.



Wallace, of Juneau, is a longtime commercial fisherman who currently participates in the Southeast salmon seine fishery, and he also tenders for other fisheries. He is vice president of United Fishermen of Alaska and a member of the Tongass Futures Roundtable. Wallace also served in the National Guard in Alaska as well as Washington. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for a seafood harvester.

Another salmon certification

More than a year ago we told you the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute had chosen an Irish outfit, Global Trust, to potentially certify the state's commercial fisheries as well-managed.

Well, now comes word that the salmon fishery has, in fact, been found to measure up against United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization criteria.

Not exactly a shock there.

This builds on the sustainability certification Alaska salmon already holds from the London-based Marine Stewardship Council.

For more information, click here or read the ASMI press release.

ASMI hires a new spokesman

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has appointed Tyson Fick as its new communications director.

He replaces Laura Fleming, who moved on recently after 12 years with the state agency.

Fick is a lifelong Alaskan with a marketing degree from Washington State University, an ASMI press release says. He's been a small business owner, a legislative staffer, a chef and a flight dispatcher. Most recently, he served as legislative liaison for the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.

At ASMI, Fick will manage communications with the Alaska seafood industry, policymakers, the media and the public.

He starts work Nov. 16.

Alaska bacalhau para o Brasil?

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is looking for a contractor to study the feasibility of forming a marketing program in Brazil.

Among other things, the contractor would determine how Alaska seafood products stack up against the competition in Brazil; analyze potential for expansion of the bacalhau (codfish) market; determine how much Alaska cod is processed in countries such as Norway and Portugal for re-export to Brazil; evaluate tariffs and other trade barriers; report the Brazilian cities and regions with the highest seafood consumption; and estimate the cost of an effective Brazil marketing program and the potential benefit to Alaska industry.

The contract is for up to $20,000, and all work must be completed by April 1 of next year, says this request for proposals.

Hmm, Deckboss is thinking he might go for this gig if he can score a trip to Rio!

Seriously, targeting the Brazilian market sounds like a smart move.

"With its estimated 201 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks fifth in the world," says this U.S. State Department background note.

Brazilians increased their average annual fish consumption by 40 percent between 2003 and 2009, from 14.2 pounds to 19.9 pounds, said a recent study from Brazil's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

ASMI, a state agency, already is an avid marketer in Europe, Japan and China.