North Carolina Gives 

 Seafood a Promotion 



With new marketing efforts, consumers are taking 

 a bigger bite out of the state's fish and shellfish. 



Photo hv Scott Taylor 



Fresh North Carolina seafood on its way to the market 



Carol Stigelman threw 

 another plump, peeled shrimp 

 into the colander, checking to 

 see if she had enough for her 

 sushi workshop that afternoon. As 

 seafood development specialist for the 

 N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, 

 Stigelman cooks up business for the 

 state's seafood industry almost as 

 easily as she cooks a pot of shrimp. 

 She's a salesman of sorts, marketing 

 what North Carolina's fishermen bring 

 to shore. 



Last year, the state's commercial 

 fishermen pulled in more than 277 

 million pounds of fish with a dockside 

 value of about $57 million. Their nets 

 lay full of menhaden, shrimp, crab, 

 croaker, flounder and many other 

 species. Some of the fish were 

 processed for meal or oils, but the ma- 

 jority of the species eventually found 

 their way to the table. 



In cooking terms. North Carolina's 

 seafood industry is rapidly coming to a 

 boil. Marketing has helped heat the 

 pan. Although different in focus, the 

 seafood development programs of the 

 Division of Marine Fisheries and Sea 

 Grant share the same goal of increas- 

 ing consumption of fish and shellfish 

 from the coast. 



Stigelman promotes the product 

 among consumers and retailers, while 

 Sea Grant agents Joyce Taylor and 

 Gary Van Housen take an educational 

 approach to marketing. As the Marine 

 Advisory Service seafood agent, 

 Taylor shares tips on handling and 

 preparing seafoods with the public. 

 Van Housen, Sea Grant's seafood 

 marketing specialist, works with 

 fishermen and processors and ad- 

 vocates quality. Together, they cover 

 the market, spreading the word on 

 seafood. 



