NEW BEDFORD- Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the New Bedford Seafood industry is launching a branding campaign. The announcement came alongside officials of the Harbor Development Commission, which Mitchell also chairs, during the Seafood Throwdown tonight.

The branding initiative includes a logo and new website for New Bedford Seafood. The logo, designed by Moore & Isherwood Communications, features a western rig fishing boat with the message “From America’s #1 Fishing Port” forming a half circle around the boat. Moore & Isherwood also collaborated with students from UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business to develop and launch the website for the city’s fishing industry, newbedfordseafood.org.

Mayor Mitchell lauded New Bedford Harbor as the “biggest and mightiest fishing port in the United States” during his unveiling of the branding campaign. The mayor says that while New Bedford Seafood has made its mark in America, it needs to expand this status throughout the world.

“As America’s top grossing commercial fishing port and largest seafood processing center, New Bedford can rightfully claim the title of America’s Seafood Capital,” said the mayor. “But we need to do a better job proclaiming our status to the rest of the world, and that’s where this campaign comes in.”

The HDC will be looking to work with New Bedford consumers and wholesalers to better market their products to buyers across the globe and online. Port Director Ed Anthes-Washburn urges seafood producers in New Bedford to join the Port’s partnership with the Fishing Heritage Center and Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA).

“Were looking to partner not only today with the Fishing Heritage Center and NAMA, but with really anybody, but mostly for the New Bedford processors and wholesalers,” said Anthes-Washburn.

“Go on the website and see, and make sure your information is accurate so that we can your products out to the entire world,” he suggests.

The HDC also plans to work with local restaurants and markets to identify locally caught fish to better highlight and advertise seafood unique to the area. Something that Anthes-Washburn says is “supporting local fisherman that reinvest in our communities” when purchased.

The Seafood Throwdown provided the Mayor of New Bedford and Chair of the HDC Jon Mitchell the stage to announce the branding plans. It was hosted in part by the HDC, along with NAMA, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, and the New Bedford Famers Market.

“We should be touting what we do. We should be screaming from the mountain tops that this center of the fishing industry in America,” Mayor Mitchell said.

 

 

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