SENA2022: Highlights from the Boston Seafood Show
The Seafood Expo North America returned in person this year after a COVID hiatus.
After two years of cancellations, the seafood industry finally reconvened in Boston for the 2022 North American Seafood Expo.
This was my first time at the show and while attendance was down from previous years, I still had an absolute blast.
Over the last two years I’ve been working with organizations like the Marine Stewardship Council, the Global Seafood Alliance, SCOUT Canning, Seafood and Gender Equality, and the Fisheries Council of Canada, but I’ve never actually met any of these wonderful colleagues in person – until last week.
I cannot express how wonderful it felt to finally be able to speak to people about our work face-to-face instead of through a screen.
Seafood, and food in general, is so deeply rooted in togetherness and human connection. With all the COVID-19 restrictions over the last two years, it’s been very difficult to capitalize on that very important human element of food. So my week in Boston was very much about making up for lost time.
And with the global events of the last two years having a tremendous impact on the seafood industry, there was a lot up for discussion. Organized sessions and casual conversations centered on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the continued impacts of the pandemic on supply chains. New consumer trend data and pivots in marketing efforts dominated talks as well, while big advocates from the small-scale fishing community came out in numbers to advocate for their important role in the industry.
Here were some of the main takeaways from the conversations at SENA2022.
Millennials are driving the sustainable seafood movement
I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the sessions at SENA focussed on the changing seafood consumer. Because the seafood consumer is changing rapidly! According to the Power of Seafood 2021 report by the Food Industry Association (FMI), overall seafood consumption has grown over the last year. Seafood purchases were the leading driver in the percentage of increased grocery sales in 2020 with a 28.4% increase in sales, which exceeded the sales growth of produce, meat, and deli.
A major driver in this growth is the increased interest in seafood among millennials.
Today, millennials are driving the seafood industry. We have the largest buying power in the market and our values, rooted in personal health as well as environmental health, make seafood our perfect protein of choice.
A session hosted by the Marine Stewardship Council and GlobeScan shared that millennials are also much more likely to pay more for seafood with sustainability ecolabels.
This was also supported in the FMI report, which found that four in ten seafood consumers (41%), up from 29% in 2019, say sustainable seafood certifications have a major impact on their seafood purchases. In fact, 71% want to be more knowledgeable about seafood sustainability.
Read next: 2022 sustainable seafood trends
I’m hopeful that these conversations will open up the industry’s minds when it comes to how we market seafood, because the old tricks won’t work on these new consumers! Millennials and Gen Z consumers don’t get their information from television ads, radio broadcasts or print materials. Many won’t even seek out information at retail counters because us millennials like to look up things before we even get to the grocery store or restaurant. (We all know you look at the menu before you go to the restaurant, don’t deny it!).
Today’s seafood consumers are getting their information online, more specifically from social media. Which is why the work that myself and other marine science communications do is so important. Today’s seafood consumer wants to know more about what they’re buying and they’re looking to social media for that information. Which means that many seafood companies should be looking to build out their digital marketing and social media strategies in order to speak directly to their target consumer.
Want help with that? Shoot me an email and let’s talk!
And if you prefer to handle your social media strategy in house, download my FREE Seafood Marketing Guides to help you build out your 2022 social media content plan!
The seafood industry has a communications problem
Tying into the point above, the way we market seafood is changing, which means the industry needs to act quickly to respond, or risk getting left behind. Which, unfortunately is what’s happened in the past.
It’s no secret that the seafood industry has been lacking in the communications department. If there was any doubt about it, the release of Seaspiracy confirmed what many have been saying for a long time: the seafood industry has a communications problem.
Whereas industries like dairy, beef, and avocados have national marketing boards to promote their products and educate their consumers, seafood does not. There are various reasons for this, one of the top being that “seafood” refers to a diversity of different species that are produced in different ways. Diversity has long been a strength in the seafood industry, but when it comes to uniting around a unified message, diversity tends to be a bit of a weakness.
Nonetheless, it seems that there is a real wave of change happening in the seafood industry when it comes to communication. Linda Cornish, founder of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership, announced bold plans for a National Seafood Marketing campaign at SENA. The goal is to secure $25 million dollars per year for five years to support and promote American seafood products.
The effort is impressive and inspiring. In fact, that progress on the communications front from the Americans has encouraged many of us here in Canada to get the ball rolling on our own national marketing campaigns…hint, hint. 😉
Creativity and innovation took centre stage
Of course, it wouldn’t be a seafood conference without the opportunity to enjoy some seafood products! And there were plenty of neat and innovative products on display at SENA2022.
Every year, the show hosts the Seafood Excellence Awards, rewarding two lucky products for their innovations in seafood. This year, Toronto-based DOM International Ltd. won the Best New Retail Product nod for its DOM Reserve Salmon Poké, while Bakkafrost, based in the Faroe Islands, received the Best New Foodservice Product award for its Native Hebridean Smoked Scottish Salmon.
Beyond these, there were plenty of other unique products on display including Kvarøy Arctic’s salmon hotdogs, Neptune Snacks’ fish jerky, panko breaded oysters, fishy tater tots, and new tinned seafood products from SCOUT Canning.
I have been loving all the innovation happening, specifically in the seafood snack space. Making seafood more approachable by replicating foods that consumers are already familiar with like hot dogs and tater tots is key to introducing new consumers. And, oftentimes these products make seafood more accessible from a price standpoint as well.
Read next: seafood budget tips
Women in leadership are key to building a better seafood industry
It’s not exactly a secret that women are underrepresented and under appreciated in the seafood industry. But being back in person really put into perspective how much of an old boys club this industry can be.
There were thousands of people walking the Boston Convention Centre over the course of three days and a large majority of them were silver haired blue suits. Look, I do not have anything against the old white man in the seafood industry. Men have done incredible work in this industry and there is no denying that. But 50% of people involved in global seafood production are women. Yet, we’re not represented at the leadership level or in decision making discussions. In fact, across 80 of the top seafood companies, less than 15% of corporate employees are women.
Women are agents for change and our approach to leadership can be transformational within these companies. Furthermore, if we’re talking about building a more sustainable and resilient seafood industry, we need to push women to the forefront of the conversation. Gender equality and sustainability go hand in hand.
One simple way in which the next seafood expo could demonstrate its commitment to gender equality is by offering childcare services. Children aren’t allowed to attend the trade show, fairly so, but excluding them without offering some form of child care excludes many women who work in the seafood industry and are also the primary care providers. Of course, plenty of men are also primary child-care providers, but statistically, women bear the majority of the childcare responsibilities and a lack of access to childcare has proven to have negative impacts on their careers. SENA is a massive event, I have no doubt they could find the budget to take on such an effort. Offering childcare would make it easier for women to be part of the conversation and make future events more well-attended.
P.S. to hear more of my thoughts on the critical role of women in seafood, check out the latest episode of The Conch podcast, where I chat with Julie Kuchepatov about how the dismissal of marketing and communications in the seafood industry perpetuates gender inequality as women hold the majority of communications and marketing roles in the seafood industry.
I would not have been able to attend the Seafood Expo North America if it weren’t for the support of the Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC). I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with them to amplify Canadian seafood. Stay tuned for some exciting projects coming up with FCC over the coming weeks!
