Saving Seafood

Seaweed, salmon and sablefish win big in Alaska seafood competition

March 2, 2022 — The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation celebrated its final round of prizes for the annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition in Juneau Thursday, Feb. 24.

The contest for new value-added products made from Alaska seafood is designed to propel product development that diversifies markets, improves utilization and reduces fish waste.

The winners will now head to Boston for Seafood Expo North America’s Seafood Excellence Awards in March.

“For the first time, we are especially proud to say that three of the Symphony’s first place winners are in the top 10 finalists in the Seafood Excellence Awards, a national competition,” said Julie Decker, executive director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, based in Wrangell. “This demonstrates that the Alaska seafood industry is a national leader in product innovation and that the Alaska Symphony of Seafood is an excellent path to a national stage.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Ocean Beauty, Seagrove Kelp, Alaskan Leader win Alaska Symphony of Seafood awards

November 22, 2021 — The Alaska Symphony of Seafood announced its 2021 winners at Pacific Marine Expo on Friday, 19 November in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation Executive Director Julie Decker was on hand to announce all winners in the competition, which was created to encourage more product development in Alaska’s seafood sector.

Read the full story from National Fisherman at SeafoodSource

Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition features 18 entries and a new award

October 26, 2021 — Pollock Protein Noodles. Southern Style Alaska Wild Wings. Candied salmon ice cream. Fish oils for pets. Fish and chips meal kits. Fin Fish earrings.

That’s just a small sample of past winners of Alaska’s biggest seafood competition, the Alaska Symphony of Seafood, which has showcased and promoted new, market-ready products since 1993.

The annual event levels the playing field among Alaska’s largest seafood companies and the smallest “mom and pops,” whose products are all judged blind by an expert panel.

Eighteen entries are in the running for the 2021 contest, the first leg of which takes place next month at Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. They will compete in several categories: retail and food service, salmon and whitefish, Beyond the Plate, and, new to the lineup, a Bristol Bay Choice awarded to the best new sockeye product.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

 

Alaska Symphony of Seafood – Announcing Changes and Call for Product

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation:

After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AFDF is proud to announce the 2021-22 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, including the Call for Product and exciting new changes to the event. The deadline for entry into this year’s competition is October 04, 2021. The Call for Product can be downloaded here.

Since 1994, AFDF has organized the “Symphony”, a competition for commercial-ready value‐added products made from Alaska seafood. The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska seafood in national and global markets. Product development is critically important to the entire industry and the fishing communities that depend on it. Innovative new products position the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers.

Read the full release here

Alaska Symphony of Seafood – 2020/2021 Events Cancelled

April 9, 2021 — The following was released by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation:

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), organizer of the Alaska Symphony of Seafood (Symphony), announces the cancellation of the rescheduled Symphony events planned for Spring 2021 due to ongoing health and safety concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual Symphony event is planned to resume with the Call for Product to be released in August 2021.

The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets. Product development is critically important to the Alaska Seafood industry. Innovative new products enable the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers.

Before making the decision to cancel the Symphony events, AFDF polled industry partners and participants, and the results were clear that COVID-19 has hindered the industry’s ability to produce new value-added products or participate in large events. Without healthy participation by industry, the benefits of an in-person or virtual event are limited. Additionally, Diversified Communications recently announced the cancellation of the 2021 Seafood Expo North America (SENA), originally rescheduled for July 11-13 in Boston. SENA is the central event at which AFDF promotes the winning products of the Symphony each year. AFDF will continue to feature Symphony winners at SENA, including entrance in the Seafood Excellence Awards, when the in-person SENA resumes in March 2022.

AFDF will continue to monitor the COVID-19 health crisis and will provide updates to industry and partners on the 2021-2022 competition and events. Additionally, AFDF will explore exciting new opportunities throughout the year to promote past Symphony winners, as a part of the effort to expand the reach and positive impact of the annual competition.

Thank You to Sponsors
AFDF would like to recognize and thank our sponsors from last year. Major sponsors include Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, Lineage Logistics, Trident Seafoods, Marine Stewardship Council, Northwest Fisheries Association, Alaska Air Cargo, At-Sea Processors Association and the United Fishermen of Alaska. See here for a complete list of sponsors.

About the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
Founded in 1978, AFDF is dedicated to identifying common opportunities in the Alaska seafood industry and developing efficient, sustainable outcomes that provide benefits to the economy, environment and communities. For more information, visit www.afdf.org.

Alaska Symphony of Seafood rescheduled to 2021

September 22, 2020 — The Alaska Symphony of Seafood, scheduled to be held this November, has been postponed until spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), which organizes the event.

The program has been hosted since 1994 and allows Alaskan value-added seafood products to compete against each other, which “encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets.” A call for products will be reissued early next year.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Call for products to compete in Alaska Symphony of Seafood issued

August 25, 2020 — The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) has issued a call for products for the organization’s 2020-2021 Alaska Symphony of Seafood program.

The program has been hosted since 1994 and allows Alaskan value-added seafood products to compete against each other which “encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Alaska Symphony of Seafood – 2020-21 Changes and Call for Product

August 18, 2020 — The following was released by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation:

AFDF is proud to announce the 2020-21 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, including the Call for Product (due Oct. 06, 2020), exciting changes to the event and new major sponsor, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA). Since 1994, AFDF has hosted and organized the “Symphony”, a competition for value‐added products made from Alaska seafood. The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets. Product development is critically important to the entire Alaska Seafood industry and the fishing communities that depend on it. Innovative new products position the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers, which is especially important in today’s COVID-19 market.

Previous winners and entrants have leveraged the Symphony platform and continue to see increased sales and market exposure of their products. Bullwhip Hot Sauce, by Barnacle Foods, was a triple winner last year (Retail category, Juneau People’s Choice and Grand Prize). Upon receiving the Grand Prize, Barnacle Foods commented, “When [Alaska] kelp is paired with piri piri pepper, tomatoes, and fresh garlic, the delicious flavor makes you want to put this sauce on everything! The Alaska Symphony of Seafood encourages all seafood processors to prioritize innovation in product development.”

Read the full release here