A newly-branded marketing project called NW Sablefish launched in Seattle in mid-August with the hope of increasing awareness among U.S. consumers about sustainable, premium domestic sablefish.
The project was developed through a unique collaboration of the non-profit Eat on the Wild Side, a handful of Northwest chefs and a group of sablefish harvesters. Backing is through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Fund, a NOAA Fisheries-administered a grant competition that annually funds projects that lead to the promotion, development and marketing of U.S. fisheries.
By highlighting the fishery’s sustainable management as well as its low impact fixed gear harvest methods, NW Sablefish is seeking to garner the attention of eco-conscious consumers. With little to no existing product messaging for the fishery, the project team has said that it’s developing a contemporary customer narrative that aligns with ecological-based consumer values.
“The grant allowed us to create some amazing visual assets to try and capture the attention of a new audience of seafood lovers that cares about the environment,” NW Sablefish Project Coordinator Katie Harris said.
Harris enlisted a team of sablefish fishermen to help make decisions during the project, and to ensure all elements aligned with the marketing needs of the harvesters.
“The goal is to boost domestic demand for sablefish, as it has always had strong overseas markets,” Bob Alverson, executive director of the fixed gear halibut and sablefish fishermen trade association Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association (FVOA), remarked.
The project not only aims to increase U.S. markets for sablefish, it also supports the broader goal of sustainable fisheries management, something FVOA has championed on behalf of its members for many years.
The marketing strategy has been equal parts restaurant partnerships and digital content creation, which the project team said it hopes will prove beneficial to both parties.
“Every chef I approached was eager to participate and felt sablefish was one of the best kept secrets in the seafood industry,” Harris noted. “We are hoping to let everyone else in on that secret too.”
Eat on the Wild Side is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting fixed gear halibut and sablefish fishing communities through crew training, education programs, promotional public outreach and other methods.
More information about NW Sablefish is available at www.nwsablefish.com