Selling your catch directly to the public may not be a new concept, but fishermen are increasingly taking advantage of social media, the Internet and technology to take the practice to a new level. For example, we took a look in our November 2013 issue at how Louisiana fishermen are using tools like Facebook and Louisiana Sea Grant's umbrella website, Louisiana Direct Seafood, to sell their catch.
And in our September 2013 issue, we told you about how Half Moon Bay, Calif.-based Phondini Partners was expanding its FishLine app, which connects seafood lovers with fishermen and restaurants that have fresh fish available, to include more California ports. Now the FishLine folks have created a video that shows consumers how they can buy Dungeness crab fresh off the boat.
The video shows buyers how the crabs are caught, and what it's like to come down to the docks to pick up some Dungies to cure their crab cravings. And of course it touts the benefits of either downloading the free FishLine mobile app or using the FishLine web page.
It's a good looking video. But what is most appealing to me is that fishermen can take advantage of increasingly affordable technology to produce pieces like this. Whether you use something as slick as a GoPro video camera or as simple as a smartphone, you can shoot, edit and upload to the Web videos that can help you connect with consumers on many levels.
Yes, such pieces can help you sell your product. But they can also help you build a relationship with consumers; you can show them what you do for a living and how and why you do it. And in the process, they help the people who supply the nation with delicious seafood become the brand.