SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [AK symphony of Seafood] ANCHORAGE (Feb. 23, 2010) Ñ The Alaska Symphony of Seafood announced the winners of its 17th annual New Products Contest judging event held in Seattle. The competition enlists chefs and industry experts to pick the best new seafood products each year. The winners were announced Friday at the Gala Soiree in Anchorage, where contestants, industry representatives, media and attendees gathered to celebrate and toast the winners. This year's first place winners included: Alaskan Amber Beer Battered Cod by Trident Seafoods in the Foodservice category, Top Crusted Corn Tortilla Salmon by Aqua Star in the Retail Category and Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder by Ivar's Seafood, Soup and Sauce Company in the Smoked category. The grand prize, awarded to the product that received the most overall votes, also went to Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Chowder by Ivar's Seafood, Soup and Sauce Company.  'Ivar's Seafood, Soup and Sauce Company was elated to receive the people's choice award during the Seattle event and we are privileged to learn of our victory as the Grand prize winner in Anchorage, commented Chris Lewark, director of Sales for Ivar's. Receiving this honor has been on our 'to do list' for years now and it sure feels great having achieved this goal. The first place winners from each category, and the grand prize winner, will receive booth space at the distinguished International Boston Seafood Show in March, as well as airfare to and from the show. The Alaska Symphony of Seafood New Products Contest kicked off on February 3rd in Seattle, where the judges tasted, deliberated and selected their favorite products. Evaluations were based on the products' packaging and presentation, overall eating experience, price and potential for commercial success. This year's judges included: Amy Muzyka-McGuire with Market Fresh Foods, Bobby Moore with Barking Frog Restaurant, Steve Cain with El Gaucho, John Fiorillo with IntraFish, Cyntha Nims with Mon AppŽtit, Tom Douglas with Tom Douglas Restaurants, Richard Malia with Ponti Restaurant, Noriko Ninomiya with WholeFoods, Rebekah Denn with Eat All About it and Sam Clinton with FareStart. Sponsors for this year's event include: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund, At-sea Processors Association, Northwest Fisheries Association, Trident Seafoods, Marine Stewardship Council, Orca Bay Seafoods, Alaska Air Cargo, Alaskan Brewing Co., American Seafoods Company, CFAB, Pacific Seafood Processors Association, Copper River Seafoods and Northern Air Cargo. The Gala Soiree concluded with the announcement of the Anchorage People's Choice winner, Crab Stuffed Pacific Salmon by Aqua Star, based on the attendees' votes.

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton - Feb 23, 2010 - The Alaska Longline Cod Commission ('ALCC') is seeking an export trade certificate that would provide a federal guarantee against certain suits, and allow them to collectively market frozen at sea H & G cod. The companies involved, members of the ASCC, include Alaskan Leader Fisheries, Alaskan Leader Seafoods; Gulf Mist, Inc.; Deep Sea Fisheries, Inc., Aleutian Spray Fisheries, Inc., Pathfinder Fisheries LLC, Liberator Fisheries, Siberian Sea Fisheries; Akulurak LLC, Romanzoff Fishing Company, Beauty Bay Washington, Tatoosh Seafoods, Blue North Fisheries, Inc; Clipper Seafoods, Bering Select Seafoods Company, Glacier Bay Fisheries, Glacier Fish Company, Shelfords' Boat, Ltd.. These companies are members of the freezer longliner conservation cooperative, which includes virtually all longliners except the Fishing Company of Alaska, which operates a number of vessels but which has never participated in industry-wide organizations. The export certificate allows the group to collectively discuss prices and markets, to set minimum prices for H&G cod, to collectively sell to particular markets or brokers and divide the proceeds, and in general be protected from what would ordinarily be subject to anti-trust laws. Their application spells out in detail what this means:
1. Each member will from time to time independently determine in its sole discretion (i) the quantity of export product that it makes available for sale in export markets, and (ii) whether any portion of such quantity will be sold independently by it, be sold in cooperation with some or all of the other members, or be made available to ALCC for sale in export markets. ALCC may not require any member to export any minimum quantity of export product.
2. ALCC and/or its members may enter into agreements to act in certain countries or markets as the members' exclusive or non-exclusive export intermediary(ies) for the quantity of export product dedicated by each member for sale by ALCC or any member(s) in that country or market. In any such agreement (i) ALCC or the member(s) acting as the exclusive export intermediary may agree not to represent any other supplier of export product with respect to one or more export market(s), and (ii) members may agree that they will export the quantity of export product dedicated for sale in such export markets only through ALCC or the member(s) acting as an exclusive export intermediary, and that they will not export the export product otherwise, either directly or through any other export intermediary.
3. ALCC and/or one or more of its members may engage in joint bidding or selling arrangements for export markets and allocate sales resulting from such arrangements among the members.
4. The members may refuse to deal with export intermediaries other than ALCC and its members.
5. ALCC may, for itself and on behalf of its members, by agreement with its members or its members' distributors or agents, or on the basis of its own determination:
a. Establish the prices at which export product will be sold in export markets;
b. Establish standard terms of sale of export product;
c. Establish standard quality grades for export product;
d. Establish target prices for sales of export product by its members in export markets, with each member remaining free to deviate from such target prices in its sole discretion;
e. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph 1, above, establish the quantity of export product to be sold in export markets;
f. Allocate among the members export markets or customers in the export markets;
g. Refuse to quote prices for, or to market or sell, export product in export markets; and
h. Engage in joint promotional activities aimed at developing existing or new export markets, such as advertising and trade shows.
6. ALCC may, for itself and on behalf of its members, contact non-member suppliers of export product to elicit information relating to price, volume delivery schedules, terms of sale, and other matters relating to such suppliers' sales or prospective sales in export markets.
7. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph 1, above, ALCC and its members may agree on the quantities of export product and the prices at which ALCC and its members may sell export product in and for export markets, and may also agree on territorial and customer allocations in export markets among the members.
8. ALCC and its members may enter into exclusive and non-exclusive agreements appointing third parties as export intermediaries for the sale of export product in export markets. Such agreements may contain the price, quantity, territorial and customer restrictions for export markets contained in paragraph 5, above.
9. ALCC and its members may solicit individual non-member suppliers of Product to sell such Product to ALCC or members for sale in export markets.
10. ALCC may compile for, collect from, and disseminate to its members, and the members may discuss among themselves, either in meetings conducted by ALCC or independently via telephone and other available and appropriate modes of communication, the information described in Item 14 below.
11. ALCC and its members may prescribe conditions for withdrawal of members from and admission of members to ALCC.
12. ALCC may, for itself or on behalf of its members, establish and implement a quality assurance program for export product, including without limitation establishing, staffing, and operating a laboratory to conduct quality testing, promulgating quality standards or grades, inspecting export product samples and publishing guidelines for and reports of the results of laboratory testing.
13. ALCC may conduct meetings of its members to engage in the activities described in paragraphs 1 through 12, above.
14. ALCC and its members seek to exchange and discuss the following types of export-related information:
a. Sales and marketing efforts, and activities and opportunities for sales of export product, including but not limited to selling strategies and pricing, projected demand for export product, standard or customary terms of sale in export markets, prices and availability of export product from competitors, and specifications for export product by customers in export markets;
b. Price, quality, quantity, source, and delivery dates of export product available from the members for export including but not limited to export inventory levels and geographic availability;
c. Terms and conditions of contracts for sales to be considered and/or bid on by ALCC and its members;
d. Joint bidding or selling arrangements and allocation of sales resulting from such arrangements among the members, including each member's share of the previous calendar year's total foreign sales;
e. Expenses specific to exporting to and within export markets, including without limitation transportation, trans- or intermodal shipments, cold storage, insurance, inland freight to port, port storage, commissions, export sales, documentation, financing, customs duties, and taxes;
f. U.S. and foreign legislation regulations and policies affecting export sales; and
g. ALCC's and/or its members' export operations, including without limitation, sales and distribution networks established by ALCC or its members in export markets, and prior export sales by members (including export price information).