Atlantic Provinces Work Together to Enhance Online Promotion of Seafood

Wholesalers and restaurants involved with fish products can now access a wealth of information about Atlantic Canadian seafood through a new version of the Atlantic Canada Exports website. The thoroughly enhanced site was developed through a partnership among fisheries and aquaculture departments from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

“The Provincial Government was pleased to work collaboratively with other provinces and the Federal Government on this project,” said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “This website not only promotes the product quality and diversity of Atlantic Canadian seafood, but also helps companies connect with national and international buyers. I look forward to seeing the benefits this website will bring, and I encourage industry stakeholders to become familiar with it.”

The website will connect national and international buyers to companies dealing in seafood products, and will serve as an information resource. Visitors can use the site to access details about the types of species available in Atlantic Canada, initiatives to promote sustainability, networking opportunities for buyers and sellers, and even recipes for various seafood dishes. Key features of the site include a trade calendar to help companies meet buyers at trade shows, and a revised search engine that allows consumers to search the site by company, product, process, or simply by keyword. The website is available in English and French, and can be accessed by all mobile devices anywhere in the world.

The need to revitalize Internet materials to promote Atlantic Canadian seafood was identified at the Atlantic Canada Annual Food and Beverage Sector Meeting in Moncton in June 2010. Fisheries and aquaculture departments in each of the Atlantic provinces and ACOA responded by forming a sub-committee to develop a modernized website that would serve as a one-stop source of information for stakeholders in the marketplace. The project was cost-shared, with ACOA covering 70 per cent of the costs and the provinces splitting the remaining 30 per cent. Final revisions to the website were completed in June of this year, and the site can now be visited at www.atlanticcanadaexports.ca. 

“The collaborative nature of this marketing project is consistent with the province’s endorsement of the cooperative marketing initiatives that were outlined in the MOU report,” said Minister Jackman. “I look forward to finding opportunities to engage in cooperative marketing efforts with industry stakeholders in our province in the coming year that will enhance our fishery.”

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Media contact:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca 

2011 10 21             10:55 a.m.