NC fishermen urged to stress product marketing

BEAUFORT, N.C. — North Carolina commercial fishermen and seafood dealers are learning how to earn more by stressing what makes locally caught seafood better.

The federal coastal resources agency Seagrant hosts a workshop in Beaufort Wednesday on how to do a better job marketing North Carolina seafood. The idea is to share success stories teaching fishermen about consumer preferences, seafood branding, and the importance of building business-to-business relationships.

Sea Grant fisheries specialist Scott Baker said persuading consumers that local seafood is fresher and tastier than lower-cost Asian imports helps fisherman fetch a price that could keep them in business. Fishermen could shift from selling a commodity product to targeting smaller buyers.

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