The annual competition aimed at innovative use of wild Alaska seafood used to focus strictly on products offered into retail and food service markets, plus a special category for smoked products, but more recently expanded into two new categories that welcome the use of wild Alaska seafood products in everything from pet treats to fish leather and jewelry items.
Retail entries this year include a variety of salmon, pollock, halibut and cod products from Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Orca Bay Seafoods, Morey’s, Trapper’s Creek Smoking Co., Bambinos Baby Food and Odyssey.
Food Service entries are from Trident Seafoods, Orca Bay Seafoods and Deckhand Seafoods.
Beyond the Plate entries include salmon leather wallets and belts from Tidal Vision, key fobs, money clips and jewelry created by From the C, and an anti-aging skin serum that includes cold pressed wild Alaska salmon oil, from ArXotica. The lone entry in the Beyond the Egg category is salmon caviar from the Alaska Seafood Company.
All entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges, based on packaging and presentation, overall eating/consumer experience, price and potential for commercial success. First, second, third and grand prize winners will be announced on Feb. 19 at the Marriott Hotel in Anchorage. Other gala Symphony events will be held earlier, on Feb. 10 in Seattle, and Feb. 16 in Juneau.
First place winners will be given an opportunity in March to market their products at Seafood Expo North America in Boston.
The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation has organized the Symphony since 1993 to promote value-added product development of seafood harvested in Alaska. More information is online at www.afdf.org/symphony-of-seafood
Major sponsors of this year’s event include Alaska Air Cargo, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, United Fishermen of Alaska, At-Sea Processors Association, Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, Northwest Fisheries Association, Marel and the Marine Stewardship Council.