Jermaine Owens of North Fork Seafood with patron showcasing their “Eat NY Seafood” totes after purchasing New York seafood at the East End Farmers Market. Credit: NYSG/M. Ciaramella

Contact:

Michael Ciaramella, NYSG Seafood Safety & Technology Specialist, E: mc2544@cornell.edu, P: (631) 824-4052

Program to Increase Awareness & Demand for Seafood Farmed & Fished in New York; Fostering growth and resilience in New York’s seafood industry requires knowledgeable buyers and awareness of locally available products

Stony Brook, NY, March 25, 2024 - Much of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported. With increasing interest in local foods and a demand for wholesome and nutritious food options, there is a great opportunity to “catch” increased market share for locally produced seafood.

In the summer of 2022, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County to develop a New York Seafood Incentives Program to encourage consumers to buy New York seafood products. This program provided seafood markets across Long Island and New York City the opportunity to educate their customers about local New York seafood and to incentivize them to buy it. Thirty-one (31) participating businesses were given insulated totes, with educational pamphlets and other promotional materials, to give to their customers when purchasing NY farmed or fished seafood.

Approximately 62 percent of participating retailers who completed the post-program survey (n=26) indicated that they noticed an increase in local seafood sales when offering the totes. Participating retailers, on average, reported that the program resulted in an increase in sales of approximately 22.6%.

To increase awareness and demand for locally farmed and fished seafood, NYSG coordinated the development of this incentives program, which allowed some NY retailers to effectively increase sales of NY farmed and fished seafood and to educate consumers about local seafood.

Project Partner:

• Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark, and in Watertown. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County on Long Island, in Queens, at Brooklyn College, with Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC, in Bronx, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County in Kingston, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County in Elmsford.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.