Contacts:

Michael Ciaramella, NYSG’s Seafood Specialist, E: Mc2544@cornell.edu, P: (631) 632-8730 

New York, NY, January 28, 2018 – New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is hosting its second New York City-based Seafood Summit for industry, academic and other professional seafood stakeholders and collaborators. As space is limited, all participants of the summit – which will be held on Friday, February 16th (6-9 pm) at the MFA Products of Design Program space at the School of Visual Arts (136 West 21st Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10011) – must register by February 12th.

The goals of the summit are to: (a) convene a group of enthusiastic professionals with vested interest in seafood, (b) build active communications between various sectors of the NY Seafood Industry, and (c) identify key areas of concern to seafood stakeholders. This and future summits will help foster a highly networked and informed seafood industry.

In 2016, NYSG’s first Seafood Summit provided an opportunity to identify the key issues and concerns of seafood industry stakeholders as a foundation for developing research and extension programs that directly address current needs. Additionally, there were in-depth discussions on sustainability, federal regulations, urban aquaponics and seafood safety & processing.

Discussions at this year’s summit will include a variety of relevant topics regarding seafood in New York State, such as regulatory hurdles, productive and resilient systems, and seafood safety and quality, among others. “In having these discussions, we’re looking for attendees to help explore and identify areas of focus that are mutually beneficial to promoting and protecting the state’s seafood resources,” says Michael Ciaramella, New York Sea Grant’s Seafood Specialist.

This year’s event will begin with a review of the projects and programs that stemmed from late 2016’s discussions. Groups will then give informal presentations (2-5 minutes) on new efforts related to the seafood industry. The remainder of the evening will be devoted to an open discussion facilitated by Ciaramella on topics impacting the industry.Ciaramella is currently leading a national vision effort to identify major national priorities on aquaculture, fisheries and seafood that are also affecting industry stakeholders on a local level. The results of summit deliberations will be used to most effectively focus research and extension programs to meet the needs of the seafood industry.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s NYC and Kingston locations.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG produces a monthly e-newsletter, "NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog. Our program also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.