Photo bv Sarah Friday 



Carol Sti^elman 



"North Carolina has such a 

 variety," says Stigelman. "We are un- 

 tapped to the Hmits we can go to 

 promote it. We have a year-round 

 source of seafood. There's very little 

 time boats cannot go out and bring 

 something back." 



Having such an assortment of goods 

 enhances the state's marketing efforts. 

 And recently, increased consumer in- 

 terest in seafood has been a boon to the 

 industry. 



"There's a national trend to buy 

 seafood — a national trend for healthful 

 foods," says Van Housen. "People in 

 North Carolina are becoming more 

 aware, as evidenced by fish markets 

 being put in supermarkets. This gives 

 us a responsiblity to make sure we pre- 

 sent seafood to the consumer in the 

 best manner possible." 



Teaching people about quality fish 

 is Van Housen's key to promoting the 

 state's seafood. "I believe that by in- 

 creasing the quality of the seafood 

 presented to the consumer, you're go- 

 ing to increase their desire to buy 

 seafood," he says. "Once the retailer 

 knows what good quality fish is, we 

 hope he'll pay a higher price." This, in 

 turn, should give the fisherman, the 

 packing house and the wholesaler the 

 incentive to take the extra care re- 

 quired to obtain high quality fish. 



Taylor agrees that education and 



marketing go hand in hand. "As you 

 educate people about ways to use 

 seafood, that in itself sells more. A lot 

 of people don't buy seafood because 

 they don't know what to do with it 

 when they get it home." 



She and Stigelman often answer re- 

 quests for information and send out 

 recipes that pass their kitchen tests. 

 Since fish is nutritious and generally 

 low in calories, consumers are more 

 anxious to try it in new dishes, says 

 Stigelman. 



"The more people know about the 

 different varieties of fish in North 

 Carolina, the more they will be willing 

 to try them," says Van Housen. "I try 

 to promote seafoods that people aren't 

 currently familiar with," like soft shell 

 crab and squid. "I also try to promote 

 local seafood caught in North Carolina 

 such as bay scallops." 



A typical day for Van Housen might 

 include anything from explaining the 

 characteristics of a fresh fish to a 

 Raleigh restaurant owner to discussing 

 onboard handling techniques with a 

 fisherman. He also gives seminars and 

 slide shows, talks to seafood buyers at 

 supermarkets and restaurants, sets up 

 displays at trade shows and works one- 

 to-one with fishermen and retailers. 



Buyers at retail fish markets often 

 ask Van Housen's advice on purchas- 

 ing fresh fish, where they can get 

 quality fish and who are reliable 

 dealers on the coast. 



On the other side of the docks. Van 

 Housen helps fishermen find markets 

 for extra fish. He can put fishermen in 

 touch with wholesalers other than the 

 traditional ones in the North. Too, 

 there seems to be a trend for fishermen 

 to market their fish directly, says Van 

 Housen. They come to him wanting to 

 know shipping and packaging costs 

 and the best handling techniques. 



He and Stigelman frequently help 

 fishermen truck, air freight or export 

 their catches. (Van Housen has re- 

 cently written a Blueprint, "Air 

 Freighting Seafood from Coastal 

 North Carolina," which is available 

 from Sea Grant.) In addition, they of- 

 ten emphasize quality control to 

 buyers and handlers of seafood. 



Stigelman's methods of marketing 

 are as numerous as the kinds of fish she 

 promotes. Much of her time is spent 

 traveling to supermarkets or meeting 

 grounds to tell people what seafood is 

 available and how it can be prepared. 

 Six to eight times a year she goes to 



out-of-state trade shows as part of the 

 Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries 

 Development Foundation to show off 

 the state's catches to restaurateurs, 

 seafood buyers and distributors. 



Stigelman also works with the 

 media, letting them know what 

 seafoods are in season and which are 

 good buys. This fall, she'll start a cable 

 television show in Morehead City. 



As Stigelman knows, selling folks on 

 North Carolina's seafood can 

 sometimes only take a bite. But 

 marketing often becomes more com- 

 plex, says Joe McClees, seafood 

 development coordinator of the Divi- 

 sion of Marine Fisheries. It involves 

 helping people who make their living 

 in the seafood industry. McClees and 

 his staff, including Stigelman, help 

 people build seafood businesses, 

 finance or refinance boats or fishing 

 operations, find distributors for sur- 

 plus catches or do almost anything 

 associated with the industry. In the 

 long run, says McClees, their efforts 

 build credibility and enhance the 

 state's seafood market. 



Until consumers eat more of our 

 clams, crab and croaker. North 

 Carolina's seafood marketing 

 specialists won't be content to watch 

 the industry simmer. 



— Sarah Friday 



Photo by Scott Taylor 



Gary Van Housen 



