North Carolinas Coastal Conference April 14, 2015 Alison T.
Willis
Slide 2
2013 Commercial Species Availability Source:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/commercial-fisheries/commercial-landings.
Note: the number of species codes listed may not reflect the number
of species available for commercial harvest; this graph only serves
as a indirect comparison
tool.http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/commercial-fisheries/commercial-landings
Slide 3
2013 North Carolina Commercial Landings
Slide 4
Economic Importance in a Rural Economy Tourism dollars o
Recreational fishing o Commercial fishing Maritime heritage &
boat building Fresh, local seafood Jobs & Revenue o In 2013...
$72.9 M Ex-Vessel Value $305.2 M in total Economic Impacts o Every
job counts in a rural economy! Source: NCDMF License &
Statistics Section 2014 Annual Report
Slide 5
Todays Challenges Imports (cheaper) Rising costs (fuel,
equipment, etc.) Catching less & making more (increasing
revenues) Selling the story Putting a face on the fish
Misinformation & misunderstanding (education)
Slide 6
Trends Over Time
Slide 7
New Horizons & Opportunities Increasing demand for North
Carolina seafood o 91% of seafood consumed in the US is imported o
Supply will always be a challenge o Consumer choice for local
caught? Desire for traceability o Knowing the origins of your
food
Slide 8
What are we doing? Education & outreach NC Catch &
Catch groups (www.nccatch.org) o Consumer based focus o Consumer
Outreach - NC State Fair, Food shows, Festivals, Etc. Marketing
Putting the Face behind the fish! o Connecting fishermen with
consumers through multimedia Telling the story. o Branding efforts
(Partnerships with NC Catch & NC Growing Together) Partnership
development o Chefs, restaurants, processors, distributors &
grocery chains o Annual NC Catch Summit (Winter 2016 Carteret
County)
Slide 9
Industry Needs & Opportunities? Processing capabilities The
Future! o Value-added seafood products Statewide & national
distribution opportunities Loosing revenue to other states with
processing capabilities o Jobs creation in rural areas Every job
counts! o Increased revenue for the fishermen, processors & the
State Developing markets for underutilized species o Spiny dogfish
(Quota: 7.2M Pounds) o Cow-nose rays
