CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Maryland officials are gathering input from the seafood industry as the state looks for new ways to market locally harvested and grown seafood.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture held a public listening session Tuesday at the Eastern Shore Innovation Center in Cambridge, bringing together watermen, aquaculturists, state officials and others connected to the seafood industry.
The meeting focused on challenges including price, market access, consumer awareness and how to better promote Maryland seafood.
Martin Proulx, chief of marketing and agricultural development with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, said the state has spent the past several months speaking with people throughout Maryland’s seafood industry.
“Over these past few months, the Maryland Department of Agriculture has been tasked with convening stakeholders within Maryland's seafood industry to discuss challenges and potential opportunities for marketing and promoting Maryland seafood across all industries,” Proulx said.
He said oysters were a major focus of Tuesday’s Eastern Shore meeting, including conversations about reaching new markets and increasing consumer awareness.
Proulx said the challenges facing seafood businesses cannot necessarily be separated from larger issues involving price and access to markets.
“I think it's definitely a delicate balance. And what was brought up today certainly had to do with some market challenges, whether it be price point or market access,” Proulx said.
Dan Worrell, an aquaculturist and owner of Fallen Pine Oyster Company on Maryland’s coastal bays, said tougher economic conditions are being felt across the industry.
“I think everybody in the country is probably experiencing a tougher times, tougher budgets. So we're just trying to keep everything going,” Worrell said. “We know we're hit better times at some point, so doesn't mean give up. You just got to keep working at it.”
Worrell said meetings like Tuesday’s help keep attention on the industry and give those involved an opportunity to discuss what could improve.
Sen. Mary Beth Carozza said Maryland’s commercial watermen, fishing families and seafood growers have faced a combination of weather and marketing challenges.
“This is a story we have to tell. We have to better market,” Carozza said. “And as we, do a better job of marketing Maryland seafood. I think we're going to see a growth in that industry across the board.”
Carozza said Maryland’s Eastern Shore has a specific story to tell through its commercial fishing, aquaculture operations and seafood businesses.
The Department of Agriculture plans to use feedback gathered from its public listening sessions to identify common priorities, challenges and opportunities across the seafood supply chain.
Proulx said the state expects to publish a report by the end of the year outlining findings and recommendations aimed at strengthening Maryland seafood marketing efforts.
