U.S. imports of fisheries products have increased steadily for many years while exports have increased slightly over last two years.
Kristen Legendre, left, Terrebonne-Weihai Director of Business Development, and David Rabalais, executive director of the Terrebonne Port (second from left) and Steve Vassallo, CEO of Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authoritygreen shirt), in Weihai, China, this month with representatives of Weigao Holding Company Limited.
U.S. imports of fisheries products have increased steadily for many years while exports have increased slightly over last two years.
Kristen Legendre, left, Terrebonne-Weihai Director of Business Development, and David Rabalais, executive director of the Terrebonne Port (second from left) and Steve Vassallo, CEO of Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authoritygreen shirt), in Weihai, China, this month with representatives of Weigao Holding Company Limited.
Louisiana seafood export graphic.jpg
While the U.S. historically exported most of its seafood to Japan, in 2006 the European Union rose to the No. 1 position. But then in 2012, China and Canada slightly surpassed the European Union as the top two U.S. seafood destinations, according to numbers released by the National Martine Fisheries Service earlier this month.
(Data analysis by Linda Chaves, NOAA Fisheries)
As the effort ramps up to send more Louisiana seafood aboard, metro New Orleans seafood processors, suppliers and fishers are encouraged to attend two free export training seminars in Belle Chasse and Arabi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We have a lot of fishers here that just sell in the region or national market and this is to try to teach them the process, all the steps it takes, to export,” said David Conner, vice-president of economic development and international commerce for the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, which is hosting the events. “Our industry got hit by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, and the BP oil spill, and now these seminars will attempt to help these fishers, as the fishing industry now is beginning its resurgence after all these disasters.
“It will help get their products into global markets.”
Conner said that, “as 95 percent of all consumers are outside the United States, it provides a great opportunity for them to expand their business.”
The push comes as the National Marine Fisheries Services announced earlier this month that it is working with U.S. Customs & Border Protection on an electronic system that will make it easier for seafood suppliers to import and export seafood products. The Fisheries Service has stated that the new electronic system also “will enhance our ability to ensure only legally caught seafood enters the U.S. market.”
Seafood imports currently represent about 90 percent of the U.S. seafood supply, according to the Fisheries Service. But, many national and Louisiana groups are both encouraging local consumers to eat more seafood closer to home and pushing fishers to sell more of their catch abroad.
Louisiana Seafood Export Training Form
While the U.S. historically exported most of its seafood to Japan, in 2006 the European Union rose to the No. 1 position. But then in 2012, China and Canada slightly surpassed the European Union as the top two U.S. seafood destinations, according to numbers released by the Fisheries Service earlier this month.
The metro New Orleans seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday will cover topics such as developing an international business strategy, export logistics, identifying potential overseas markets, promoting products in target markets, payment methods, legal considerations and regulatory requirements.
The meetings will last from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a light lunch provided.
The event on Tuesday will be held in at the Plaquemines Parish Library, 8442 Louisiana 23 in Belle Chasse. Then the Wednesday event will be held in the Associated Terminals, 8000 St. Bernard Hwy. in Arabi.
Those interested in more information should contact Marisol Canedo at 504.722.7894 or mcanedo50@gmail.com. You can register at the workshop or you can email a completed form to Canedo.
The seminars are funded through a piece of an about $500,000 grant from Hurricane Rita Community Development Block Grant funds, according to Conner.
The Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance launched the export training program earlier this year with the aid of “Export University,” a nonprofit organization that provides export education and training to American companies working closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce through 60 “District Export Councils” across the U.S. For more information on the Louisiana office and its export assistance centers, click here or here.
While not directly associated with the current export programs, the meetings come on the heels of a recent trip to Weihai, China, by members of the Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authority to explore economic development opportunities involving seafood and other industries such as ship building and repair, as well as oil and gas.
Kristen Legendre, of the Terrebonne authority, currently is in Weihai on a three-month networking mission that includes promoting Louisiana seafood to Chinese importers. To read Legendre’s blog on her experiences in Weihai, click here.
Steve Vassallo, the chief executive officer of that authority, and others went to Weihai and Beijing earlier this month to examine such export opportunities and then Legendre stayed for on her extended mission there.
“Weihai itself has about 2.8 million people, and so there’s lot of economic consumption within just that community,” Vassallo said.
Vassallo said, due to the partnership with Weihai, that Terrebonne seafood might soon be found in a variety of high-end Chinese restaurants, hotels and grocery stores.
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