American Seafood Harvesters Marketing Practices Survey
The University of Maine, Local Catch Network, Agricultural Marketing Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and National Marine Fisheries Service conducted a national survey on direct marketing practices among U.S. seafood harvesters. The survey aimed to fill a gap in our understanding of the domestic seafood market in the US and bring greater focus to the socioeconomic contributions of seafood in the nation’s local and regional food systems.
Project Partners
Funding Sponsors
2023 Survey of American Seafood Harvesters Marketing Practices
Between March and July 2023 we contacted nearly 7000 direct seafood marketers in the US to learn more about their businesses and how they direct market seafood. We heard back from direct seafood marketers across the US. The findings from this survey could bring attention to the important role that seafood harvesters play in the nation’s food systems and, eventually, inform future investments in the sector.
Maps depicting the number of Direct Seafood Marketers contacted and the percentage who responded
In total, 6630 direct seafood marketers were contacted, with more than 1300 located on the United State’s West coast and South Atlantic coast. More than 1000 direct marketers were in New England, and between 500 and 1000 were in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mid Atlantic coasts. Less than 50 direct marketers were located in the interior regions of the US. 604 direct seafood marketers responded to the survey. In terms of regional percentage of direct seafood marketers who responded, more than 12% responded from the Great Lakes region and the Mid Atlantic. 8 to 12% responded from the Gulf of Mexico. 6 to 8% of responses were from the West coast, Alaska, and South Atlantic coast and less than 6% of responses were from the interior regions of the US.
Results of 2023 Direct Marketing Survey
The findings from the American Seafood Harvesters Marketing Practices Survey are shared below as a series of fact sheets. The fact sheets provide details about the direct seafood sector, regional trends in marketing practices, and direct seafood sales.
Fact Sheet 1 – Overview of Direct Seafood Sector
Fact Sheet 2 – Marketing Strategies
Fact Sheet 3 – Direct Seafood Sales
Fact Sheet 4 – Economics of Direct Seafood Sales
If you have any questions about this survey or are interested in accessing direct marketing data from your region, please email Dr. Sahir Advani or Assistant Professor Joshua Stoll . If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Office of Research Compliance, University of Maine, 207-581-2657 (or email umric@maine.edu).
Newly Published Research
Our research has been published in Marine Policy. This study provides the first-ever estimate of the number of direct seafood marketers in the US. Improved data collection on the direct seafood sector can provide the information needed for targeted investments in policies, funding, and technical assistance programs that build diverse, resilient seafood supply chains, and benefit the fishing sector and food security of the US.