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Product/Market Development

Marine specialist Bob Fisher has worked with a number of processors to assist in new product development. Early efforts focused on the sea scallop medallion, but other marine species have been explored for their market appeal. Contact Bob Fisher, rfisher@vims.edu, for information about the following:

Cownose Ray
The cownose ray has no current market and is considered a pest species throughout the Chesapeake Bay because it consumes valuable shellfish and destroys submerged aquatic vegetation. Studies are underway to investigate its potential use as a cut bait in the blue crab trap and trot-line fisheries, American lobster and crayfish trap fisheries, and the mid-Atlantic shark longline fishery.

Rapa Whelk
Initial marketing efforts by marine extension specialists for the non-native Rapa whelk have created local, domestic, and international demand for the animal. It is especially popular in Korean retail food outlets in the region and overseas, in Korea. Larger animals are favored over smaller ones. Currently, the supply of Rapa cannot satisfy the demand, even at the local level.