Saving Seafood

“No Show Fish Show” seeks silver lining in Seafood Expo North America postponement

March 11, 2020 — A number of seafood companies that were planning on exhibiting at or holding events during Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. – postponed by organizer Diversified Communications last week due to the COVID-19 outbreak – are going ahead with online versions of those meetings and live social media demonstrations.

In an effort being coordinated by Jennifer Bushman, principal of Route to Market, a strategic development consultant for aquaculture companies, this ad hoc group of seafood companies have joined together on a social media and publicity campaign dubbed the “No Show Fish Show.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Concerns about coronavirus spur postponement of Seafood Expo in Boston

March 4, 2020 — Out of concerns about the coronavirus, the 40th edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, scheduled to take place March 15-17 in Boston, has been postponed, organizers announced Tuesday.

The event, which brings together seafood buyers and suppliers from all over the world, was to have been held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, but media company Diversified Communications said in a news release that “After many weeks of monitoring the evolving situation around COVID-19 and evaluating the full spectrum of feedback we received among hundreds of calls and emails, we have decided that the (Expo) … will not take place in March and is postponed while we look at other options.”

The release went on to say that the decision was difficult “because of the major importance of this event to the industry. We heard from those of you who were concerned about health, safety and travel restrictions, and given the short time before the scheduled event date, and upcoming logistics, we have determined that postponement at this time is unavoidable.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Seafood Expo North America postponed

March 3, 2020 — Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, scheduled to take place 15 to 17 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., has been postponed by the event’s organizer, Diversified Communications.

The decision was made on 3 March in response to growing concerns over the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to Diversified Communications Group Vice President Liz Plizga.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Coronavirus ‘no-contact, no-handshake policy’ at Seafood Expo in Boston

March 2, 2020 — Organizers for the upcoming Seafood Expo North America in Boston are encouraging attendees to follow a “no-contact, no-handshake policy” because of coronavirus concerns.

The Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America trade event — at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Seaport, from March 15 to 17 — will also have significantly fewer visitors from Asia because of the highly contagious disease.

“Due to travel restrictions into the United States, we are expecting to see an impact from Mainland China, which annually represents 5% of the combined visitor and exhibitor attendee base and 9% of the exhibit space,” a spokeswoman for the expo said in a statement. “Despite the situation, we have more than 1,100 companies that are still planning on exhibiting this March.”

About 80% of the expo visitors come from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Read the full story at The Boston Herald

Blue Harvest rolls out frozen groundfish, scallop line just in advance of Boston show

February 28, 2020 — Fresh from its acquisition of a dozen groundfish vessels, Blue Harvest Fisheries is rolling out a new line of branded retail products to be sold quick frozen and packaged in 16-ounce re-closable bags.

The new products, which include wild-caught Atlantic scallops, pollock, ocean perch and haddock, arrive just in time to be showcased at the Boston, Massachusetts, seafood show.

Blue Harvest, which is based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, 59 miles south of the city hosting Seafood Expo North America, March 15-17, says its new offerings meet “the growing demand by consumers for all-natural, sustainably caught and locally harvested wild seafood”. They are to be sourced from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries “in local US waters” and “100% traceable from fleet to table”.

And even better, they are to be processed in the US, as Blue Harvest plans to rely on its newly completed SQF-certified, 160,000 square foot plant on New Bedford’s waterfront. The company spent millions to build the facility, which comes with six high-capacity processing lines, direct offload capability, two cold storage areas and 700 feet of dock space.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Seafood Expo North America prepared for coronavirus impacts

February 28, 2020 — Diversified Communications, the company that organizes Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America (SENA) each year, said it is prepared for potential impacts to the event caused by COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus.

The Expo, which will take place from 15 to 17 March, has been the subject of speculation regarding the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Rumors that the Expo could be cancelled, or that the event has been heavily impacted, are ”simply not true,” according to Mary Larkin, president, Diversified Communications USA.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Boston Seafood Show Organizers Recommend ‘No-Contact, No-Handshake Policy’

February 26, 2020 — There will be a lot of waving going on at Seafood Expo North America in Boston next month. Diversified Communications, the organizers of the Boston Seafood Show, released yet another update for attendees and exhibitors who are concerned about the coronavirus and the upcoming event.

The latest recommendation from Diversified? “No-contact, no-handshake policy.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

12 finalists to compete for 2020 Seafood Excellence Awards

February 25, 2020 — Twelve finalists will go head-to-head for the 2020 Seafood Excellence Awards on Sunday, 15 March, at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, Massachusetts, according to event organizer Diversified Communications.

Seventy entries were submitted for this year’s Seafood Excellence Awards, a prestigious competition recognizing the best new seafood products available in the North American market. The remaining 12 finalists will compete before a three-person panel of expert judges in two categories: Best New Foodservice Product and Best New Retail Product.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability readies to launch GDST 1.0 at SENA 2020

February 14, 2020 — Citing the importance of seafood as a global source of protein, increasing regulation, and creating greater efficiency in trade, the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) has developed a set of basic technical standards to allow for interoperability across seafood traceability platforms. The effort is intended to make global seafood traceability more reliable and more affordable for companies throughout the supply chain.

Because seafood is the most globalized sector of all food supply chains, it has an increased set of challenges – not just related to the complexity of its supply chains, but the broad array of sustainability obstacles across multiple geographies including labor issues, under-resourced management, and illegal fishing.

Read the full story at Seafood Source