Portland, Maine – February 10, 2025 – The Maine Seafood Promotional Council, an industry-led initiative to strengthen the Maine seafood brand and Maine’s growing seafood industry, has announced its membership. This project is funded by a grant through the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Domestic Trade Grant Program funded by Governor Mill’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and the American Rescue Plan Act.

Led by FocusMaine and guided by industry input, the Council is co-chaired by Emily Lane, President at Blue Lobster Consulting, and Togue Brawn, Owner/founder of Downeast Dayboat. Other Council members include:

• Sebastian Belle, Executive Director, Maine Aquaculture Association
• Curt Brown, Marine Biologist, Ready Seafood
• Karan Cushman, CEO, Executive Brand Strategist, Cushman Creative
• Steve Hedlund, Director of Public Affairs, Cooke Aquaculture USA
• Marianne LaCroix, Executive Director, Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative
• Boe Marsh, CEO, Community Shellfish
• Iréne Moon, Senior VP of Sales & Marketing, Bristol Seafood
• Ben Martens, Executive Director, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association
• Quang Nguyễn, Founder, Fishermen’s Net
• Jeff Nichols, Communications Director, Maine Department of Marine Resources
• Tyler Niven, Sales, Mere Point Oyster Co.
• Brian Perkins, Owner, Next Step Consulting
• Lisa Scali, Co-Owner, Oceans Balance

The Maine Seafood Promotional Council is dedicated to showcasing the state’s rich seafood offerings from its 3,478-mile coastline along the North Atlantic. Home to diverse wild-caught and farmed species, Maine’s fishermen and sea farmers are committed to quality products and responsible harvesting, cultivation, and handling practices.

“I am excited to be a part of this new initiative to bring Maine’s seafood to consumers across the country. The Maine Seafood Promotion Council (MSPC) plays a key role in promoting and supporting Maine’s seafood industry to enhance the visibility of Maine’s seafood and to educate consumers about the benefits of Maine seafood, its sustainability, and its role in supporting local communities. Promoting the ‘Maine’ brand often resonates with consumers looking for high-quality, sustainable seafood,” says co-chair Emily Lane.

In October 2024, the Council hosted its first event, “On the (Seafood) Menu in Maine,” which invited award-winning chefs from around the country to Maine to watch Jordan Rubin–known as “Mr. Tuna”–cut and prepare a fresh tuna from the Gulf of Maine, followed by a reception at SoPo Seafood with an innovative 5-course tasting menu featuring seafood caught or farmed in Maine. Restaurants as far as New Orleans are now serving Maine seafood products in their dishes as a direct result of this event.

The Maine Seafood Promotional Council intends to raise awareness about and highlight the unique attributes of seafood from Maine, work with the Department of Marine Resources to leverage assets created during the pandemic (the Seafood from Maine brand), and seek sustainable funding during its two-year pilot phase. These efforts will complement the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, the state’s legislatively mandated marketing initiative for Maine’s lobster industry.

Co-chair Togue Brawn comments, “I’m thrilled to be part of this important venture. Maine produces the very best seafood in the world: it’s delicious, it’s sustainable, and we need to do a better job of spreading the word. There’s more to Maine seafood than lobster: much, much more. I can’t wait to work with this great group of people to help show the world that THIS is what seafood should taste like.”

About FocusMaine:

FocusMaine is a dynamic, data-driven, private sector-led initiative collaborating with influential leaders to accelerate the growth of Maine’s high-potential industries, creating quality jobs and shaping a future-ready economy. Over the past six years, the growth of FocusMaine sectors, the Food Economy and Life Science Economy, outpaced Maine’s overall growth. FocusMaine catalyzed over 1,200 jobs, including 577 jobs in companies participating in their programs which created an additional 618 indirect jobs, generating $261.7 million in sales revenue for companies and $71 million in earnings for working Maine people.

Over the past year, job growth in food companies participating in FocusMaine programs was twice as high as job growth in Maine’s overall food sector, and six times as high as job growth in Maine’s overall economy.

Media Contact

Mari Smith
Manager of Strategic Communications and Outreach
FocusMaine
mari@focusmaine.org or 207-200-3236

Or

Angie Helton
Northeast Media Associates
angie@nemediaassociates.com or 207-653-0365