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Updated: March 20, 2023

More than lobster: Maine showcases array of products at nation’s largest seafood expo

people around oysters on shells on ice Courtesy / Melissa Ostrow, MelOPhoto  Maine oyster and scallop producers supplied the raw bar for the inaugural Maine Seafood Reception at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston last week.
By Laurie Schreiber
Maine’s seafood industry represents $3.2 billion of economic output to the state's economy, making it one of the most important sectors in the state. 
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Farm-raised eels and oysters. Rope-grown mussels. 

Products made with kelp.

Scallops, haddock, cod and salmon.

And of course, Maine’s signature lobster.

These were some of the tasty products showcased by Maine’s wild-caught and farm-raised seafood industries at the Seafood Expo North America, held last week in Boston. Organized by Portland’s Diversified Communications, it's the largest seafood trade exposition in the U.S., attracting more than 20,000 attendees and featuring suppliers and buyers from some 50 countries.

This year’s expo featured the inaugural Maine Seafood Reception. Traditionally a lobster-only event, this year the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative joined forces with Maine Center for Entrepreneurs’ Food Accelerators to make it an event opened up to seafood and aquaculture groups from all over Maine.  

“We had a targeted B2B campaign bringing in regional, national and international buyers and had a great turnout with over 185 attendees despite the impending storm,” Janine Cary, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs’ MarketShare program manager, told Mainebiz.

aerial of crowd in room
Courtesy / Melissa Ostrow, MelOPhoto 
Maine brought a B2B campaign targeting regional, national and international buyers.

Twenty-nine suppliers came from along the coast, from southern Maine through Downeast.

The reception was held at the waterfront Exchange Conference Center on Boston’s Seaport Fish Pier. 

Maine’s seafood industry represents $3.2 billion of economic output to the state's economy, making it one of the most important sectors in the state. The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has 22 seafood and aquaculture companies with diverse products in its food accelerator programs.   

“We were excited to join forces with MLMC to open this networking event up to MCE seafood and aquaculture members and really target key buyers at the SENA show to attend,” said Emily Lane, MCE’s seafood and aquaculture specialist. “We were delighted with the enthusiasm of the Maine companies and the diversity and number of buyers that attended.”

Carter Newell, founder of Pemaquid Mussel Farms and Pemaquid Oyster Co., said the reception was an excellent networking event that allowed suppliers to connect with other Maine seafood providers and to expand their marketing reach by showcasing products to potential buyers and prospective funders. 

“The partnership with Maine Center for Entrepreneurs allowed us to expand our traditional Maine lobster reception to include an array of premium Maine seafood products and suppliers,” said Marianne LaCroix, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. “Buyers benefited from having a broader selection of products to experience and company representatives to meet.”

In addition to attending the reception, MCE and MLMC member companies also exhibited at the Seafood Expo North America. 

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