Just one corner of a floor with thousands of booths and displays.
By Seth Rolbein
People and fish from all over the world showed up in Boston’s Seaport District in time for St. Patrick’s Day and the three-day Seafood Expo North America.
The exposition brings together suppliers from 50 countries under one roof to provide North America’s seafood buyers a one-stop-shop to dive into everything seafood, face-to-face. This includes discovering, sampling and sourcing products, meeting with current or new suppliers and more. The 43rd annual event was no different, showcasing an amazing potpourri of booths, products, and humanity.
Here’s a visual visit:
Joe Joly, right, founder of the Plenus Food Group (PGI) in Lowell, makes great seafood that ships around the country, including our very own “Small Boats Big Taste” chowders and stew.
Dan McKiernan, director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, gets brave and tastes broth made from green crabs.
A Canadian presence is always strong, and despite all the controversies, it remained.
Jonah Crab is a growing piece of our regional market. McKiernan and DMF’s Story Reed meet with processor Jamie Raynor.
Salmon and shrimp, often farm-grown, dominate the international scene. These wild-caught, huge shrimp come from the Eastern Atlantic, likely off the coast of Africa.
Jamie Bassett, who works with kelp and multiple fish stocks while shipping from Chatham Fish Pier, networks with potential buyers.
It’s not all people. Big areas of the expo showcase state-of-the-art processing machinery.
A Massachusetts/regional delegation: DMF Director McKiernan, MA Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle, New England Fishery Management Council Executive Director Cate O’Keefe, MA Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea.
Bluefin tuna, one of the most valuable and highly migratory of all fish species, made many appearances.