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International seafood buyers tour New Bedford
 Over
45 international seafood buyers, mainly from Europe and
Asia, participating in the 2007 International Boston
Seafood Show, toured New Bedford to meet with some of
the area's leading seafood companies. With the group
were members of the European seafood press and foreign
trade representatives from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
The International Boston Seafood Show attracts top-tier
buyers and sellers of the seafood industry from around
the world with 88% of the visitors having purchasing
authority, 85% of the visitors planning to return, and
76% of the visitors planning to make purchases as a
result of attending IBSS.
The touring group visited the Whaling City Seafood
Auction and four New Bedford seafood companies before
attending a luncheon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum
featuring New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang. The luncheon
was organized and sponsored by the International Trade
Assistance Center and the New Bedford Economic
Development Council.
The third annual visit was sponsored by Food Export USA,
a non-profit export promotion organization, specifically
to promote northeastern U.S. seafood exports and
organized by the Massachusetts Export Center, part of
the state's Small Business Development Center Network
and the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission. The
Export Center provides a broad range of services to
Massachusetts exporters and operates a New Bedford
office.
“We look forward to our seafood industry doing more
business with your companies, whether it be selling or
processing. We will do everything to make doing business
with New Bedford attractive and lucrative.” Mayor Lang
told the group.
The New Bedford seafood industry which supports scores
of working families has a tremendous impact on the
city’s economy. The fishing industry, under severe
restrictions, has an impact of $1.6 billion.
“I was very surprised that countries from all over the
world and states like Florida, Maine, and Washington had
a presence, but there was nothing to represent
Massachusetts. We are missing out on an important
opportunity. Meeting with the delegation here in New
Bedford is one step, but we need to do more.”
Mr. Morrissey said the city of New Bedford is just
beginning to work with partners like the Massachusetts
Department of agriculture, Massachusetts Export Center,
Massachusetts Office of Business Development, Food
Export USA, Seafood Council, and the International Trade
Association Center to build a greater presence for New
Bedford in the international markets.
Other organizations supporting the visit include the New
Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Bristol
County Convention & Visitors Bureau. |
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