East Bay Seafood Company Pursues Traceability

Jason Rossman, sales and marketing representative for East Bay Seafood Company, looks forward to the day when clients open his daily price list and trace the exact position of the vessels that just caught his fish.

“We haven’t gone live with this yet,” he says, “but internally we’re ramping up the best way to embed the Global Fishing Watch map into our daily price list as a way to better communicate to our customers.”

East Bay Seafood Company services the demanding Asian-trade distributors with seafood items served raw.

Rossman believes that showing where his product comes from will not only better retain old customers, but attract new ones as well. He is currently gathering the names of vessels from suppliers to input them into Global Fishing Watch and create the custom maps he’ll use in these marketing efforts.

Jason Rossman of East Bay Seafood Company with a fresh catch of Ecuador Swordfish.

Every day, East Bay Seafood Company sources fish from around the world, striped bass from Cape Cod, swordfish from Ecuador, halibut from Norway, and yellowfin tuna from its sister company in Vietnam, all caught by dozens of day boats and longliners.

For example, Rossman imagines the day when his customers can say: “Look! I just bought a tuna loin from East Bay Seafood and now I can trace on Global Fishing Watch all the way back to the spot where U.S. Fishing Vessel Austin took this ocean harvest.”

Traceability is becoming more important to the seafood trade, and when the Seafood Import Monitoring Program goes into effect in January, 2018, record keeping requirements will tighten for many seafood imports to the U.S.

Forward thinking business leaders, like Jason Rossman, recognize the market opportunity increased transparency creates. He believes that Global Fishing Watch truly enhances credibility and value to the East Bay Seafood supply chain.

“Consumers want to know where their food comes from and Global Fishing Watch definitely provides this ‘wow’ factor,” Rossman says. “We work hard to make sure the items we sell are the best, the top of the catch. It is essential our clients believe in us and now, with Global Fishing Watch, there is proof behind all our effort. This is a good thing.”

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