Packing & Shipping Seafood

1. Packing & Shipping Seafood Powerpoint animation notes: Text will scroll on its own. Click to exit. What did Grandma always say about packing and shipping seafood? • KEEP IT COOL • KEEP IT CLEAN • KEEP IT MOVING

2. Air-Fresh Seafood Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. • Sturdy Boxes: Wetlocks are still the standard, but other specialty boxes are available • Use 4-Mil Poly Liners: Airlines hate leakers…so will your customers • “Wet” Ice: Don’t use regular ice. It melts & creates a huge mess • Chill Before Packing: Make sure the fish is 32°F – or a bit less – before it goes into the boxes • Gel Ice: Must be hard frozen & leak free / Use 2 X 1.5 lb gel packs per 50 lb box & 4 X 1.5 gel packs per 80 lb box / Put gel packs on both top and bottom of box • Insulation: Really helps maintain the chill / Highly advised during warmer months

3. Effect of Insulation & Gel Packs Powerpoint animation notes: Click to exit. 50 lbs Chilled Salmon / Time to Reach 40°F Fish Pre-Chilled to 32°F / Ambient air temperature of 60°F

4. Planning Your Air Shipment Powerpoint animation notes: Click after initial talking point and to exit. • Doing It Yourself? • Read MAP’s “Air Shipment of Fresh Fish” • Ask lots of “stupid” questions • Don’t take anything for granted There are a ton of issues you need to consider!

5. Planning Your Air Shipment Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. • Choosing a carrier • Service to destination – direct flights, minimum connections, timing, etc. • Experienced staff / general reputation • Adequate chilling facilities enroute, etc. etc. • Is your shipment “priority”, or can it be bumped for mail or passenger baggage • Insurance • Basic insurance is minimal • Declared value protects against loss / Full value insurance is usually quite expensive / Loss to customer is uninsurable • Claims take months to settle

6. Planning Your Air Shipment Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. • Documentation • Anything other than the Air Waybill is your responsibility • Correct documentation is particularly critical on international shipments • Are you a known shipper? • Other • We could go on and on with various contingencies our sage advice?

7. Use a Freight Forwarder Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. • They know the system • They negotiate the best rates & schedules • They monitor shipments • They get more respect from the airlines than you ever will • In short - “They are pros” In Alaska there are a number of freight forwarders that specialize in seafood. They ship millions of pounds each year, and they live by their reputations.

8. Shipping Frozen Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. SAME BASIC CARE AS WITH FRESH • Sturdy Insulated Boxes: Really a must with frozen shipments. Full “styros” with well fitted corrugated “outer” is best • Deep Freeze Before Packing: Make sure the fish is as cold as possible – minimum -5°F / -22°F (-30°C) is better • Gel Ice: Use lots! Must also be deep frozen & leak free • Dry Ice: Can be very good…but pricey. Shippers have limits on how much you can use, so check in advance • “KEEP FROZEN” Labeling: Use lots of labels! • Freezers Enroute: Verify that freezers are available at every stop and point of plane change. Make sure they are adequate to take your shipment if need be.

9. Shipping by Truck Powerpoint animation notes: Text will scroll on its own. Click to exit. Did you know that as much fresh fish now leaves Alaska by truck as by air? • Volume: Well over 20 million pounds of Alaska seafood goes to the Lower ’48 on trucks • What Species?: “Sturdy” fish like halibut stand up well in trucking, but lots of fresh salmon gets trucked too • Good Rates: “Back haul” from Alaska is much cheaper than air • Reliable: Unlike aircraft, “refer” trucks have reliable temperature control systems for either chilled or frozen freight • Speed: Can be surprisingly competitive with air depending on destination & when all stops, and potential delays are considered • Check with your Forwarder: Trucking may be right for you.

10. And Remember What Grandma Says Powerpoint animation notes: Text will scroll on its own. Click to exit. • KEEP IT COOL • KEEP IT CLEAN • KEEP IT MOVING

11. Quentin Fong,Seafood Marketing Specialist, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program and Kodiak Fishery Industrial Technology Center, School of Fisheries and Ocean Science, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Greg Fisk, SeaFisk Consulting Glenn Haight, Seafood Business Specialist, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Charlie Sparks, Associate Professor, School of Business Management, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Powerpoint animation notes: Click through each talking point and to exit. Credits

12. Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) Glenn Haight Fisheries Business Specialist1108 F Street, Suite 215 Juneau, Alaska 99801Phone: (907) 796-6046Fax: (907) 796-6301 E-mail: glenn.haight@uaf.edu Main Office / Anchorage 1007 West 3rd Ave, Suite 100Anchorage, AK 99501Phone: (907) 274-9691Fax: (907) 277-5242E-mail: map@sfos.uaf.edu