Chefs and fishermen from across the state are coming together to reel in new ideas about seafood.
The Alabama Gulf Seafood Summit is bringing together all facets of the state’s seafood industry for a two-day event in Orange Beach. The event is meant to help networking and for those within the industry to make connections to help foster growth.
Chris Blankenship is the program coordinator for the summit. He says, "It’s an opportunity for us to bring together all the different people in the seafood industry to try and help them do business together. We’ll have the fishermen there, the processors, the wholesalers, the restaurants, the retailers, so we can discuss trends in the industry and availability of different types of product."
The event began last night with a competition cook-off featuring notable chefs using Alabama seafood and produce. Today the focus will be on programs and lectures by state officials and industry experts.
A 2012 federal report says Alabama’s seafood industry accounts for around 10,000 jobs and over two hundred million dollars per year for the state’s economy.