Island Creek Cannery Opens in New Bedford MA

oysters

In October 2023, Island Creek Oysters, Inc. (ICO), an aquaculture farm based in Duxbury, Massachusetts, announced the opening of the Island Creek Cannery. The cannery will be a first-of-its-kind on the East Coast.

The 10,000 sq. foot facility will give local shellfish farmers consistent access to the market while providing a shelf-stable line of local sustainable seafood products.

The facility will also help address oversupply by ensuring adequate processing capacity during market fluctuations, shore up prices for farmers, reduce waste, diversify species and food, and create a range of jobs from processors to marketing experts.

For more information, visit islandcreekoysters.com.

U.S. Oyster Aquaculture Facts

Shellfish aquaculture is an important industry in coastal Massachusetts. Oysters are the most popular farmed shellfish in the state.

Oysters are the highest volume product for U.S. marine shellfish producers, according to NMFS Fisheries of the United States, 2020.

Seaweed Facts

 

Rockweed

Seaweed offers enormous potential as a food source. In North America, scientists, entrepreneurs, harvesters, and others are undertaking an array of projects aimed at increasing seaweed production.

Seaweed Facts

"Seaweed" is the common name for marine plants and algae that grow in the ocean as well as in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.

Seaweed is used in salads, nutritional supplements, beer, personal care products, fish feed, and other items.

Most seaweed consumed in the U.S. is imported from Asia.

Researchers are exploring the potential of seaweed as biofuel, cattle feed, and other uses.

Giant kelp can grow up to 14 inches in one day, reaching lengths of 100 feet or more.

The gel inside rockweed bulbs is useful to treat sunburns and cuts.

Seaweeds remove carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from the environment.

There are approximately 550 species of seaweeds known to occur in Alaska. Some species are found only in Alaska waters.

The U.S. seaweed industry is still in its early stages. Production occurs in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and throughout New England.

In the Northeast U.S., seaweed is grown beginning in November and harvested in the spring. 

Oyster farmers can grow seaweed in their offseason to provide additional revenue.

Maine has a wild harvested seaweed industry, which harvested ̴roughly 15 million pounds in 2022.

The National Seaweed Hub is a science-based, non-advocate resource for the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry and associated sectors.

Lynnwood Washington Wild Seafood Exchange

The USA west coast Wild Seafood Exchange conference will be taking place on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 from 9 am - 5 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lynnwood, WA.


This is a one day conference aimed at the independent commercial fisherman who wants to learn about marketing and direct marketing to restaurants, retailers, brokers and seafood buyers.

The conference will include the following:

Information from restaurants and retailers, brokers and seafood buyers about what is needed from the seller.

Advice from colleagues about their business through small business case studies.

Learn about funding sources for business operations, new equipment, vessel repowers and new construciton. State and federal sources, as well as private lending will be discussed.

Valuable one-on-one round-table discussions with shipyards, direct marketers, funding experts and colleagues.

Eating Fish Might Help Reverse Lionfish Invasion

A massive fishing effort to stop invasive lionfish involves chefs marketing these delicious fish to consumers.

A new study looking at how to curb the rapid growth of lionfish, an invasive species not native to the Atlantic Ocean, suggests that approximately 27 percent of mature lionfish will have to be removed monthly for one year to reduce its population growth rate to zero.

But the good news is that the invasive fish happens to be delicious. NOAA is encouraging chefs to find new ways to introduce this tasty species of saltwater fish to U.S. consumers.

Lionfish are native to the western and central Pacific Ocean, but have established themselves from North Carolina to South America.

Scientists and public officials are seriously concerned at the effect lionfish are having on reef ecosystems, since this predator is capable of rapid population growth, often competing with native fish for food and territory.

Authorities are also encouraging a local market for the species, whose delicate white flesh tastes similar to a snapper or grouper. NOAA scientists concur that developing a market for lionfish is one of the only ways to substantially reduce their numbers.

NOAA has developed an "Eat Lionfish" campaign that brings together fishing communities, wholesalers, and chefs in an effort to broaden U.S. consumers’ awareness of this delicious invader.