{"id":1390,"date":"2023-02-14T01:18:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T01:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/?p=1390"},"modified":"2025-04-22T02:50:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T02:50:49","slug":"celebrating-seafood-and-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hihotest2.co.nz\/sealord\/2023\/02\/14\/celebrating-seafood-and-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Seafood – Our People, Produce and Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nelson\u2019s festival quarter at the top of Trafalgar Street is set to host the inaugural Seafood Saturday on 25 March.<\/p>\n\n

Brought to you by Seafood New Zealand, the event is a celebration of kaimoana from sea to table \u2013 the people, places and products \u2013 and the Nelson event will set the scene for Seafood Saturdays in other fishing regions.<\/p>\n\n

Seafood NZ chief executive Jeremy Helson says the event places great seafood at the centre.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cSeafood Saturday celebrates all the ways we enjoy seafood in New Zealand \u2013 at our favourite restaurants, at community events, at friends\u2019 and family parties and in our own kitchens,\u201d Helson says. <\/p>\n\n

A seafood-inspired degustation meal (ticketed) will be prepared by chefs from Hawker House, Hopgood\u2019s Restaurant, The Vic Public House, Burger Culture, Kiwi Kai, and the Oceano Restaurant at the Rutherford Hotel. For those not at the degustation meal, there is goodness to be had at the \u2018build your own burger\u2019 bar and free fish and chips for children.<\/p>\n\n

A Sealord fish filleting demonstration will be on show, and through the afternoon the Nelson Provincial Museum will have ocean-themed activities in the Museum. And for those curious about careers, Seafood Saturday will also be a chance to meet people in different seafood industry roles, and have a chat.<\/p><\/div>\n\n

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\u201cSeafood Saturday is a fun, and delicious way to celebrate everything great about seafood \u2013 from the people who harvest, process, distribute and cook it, through to the range of kaimoana that Aotearoa New Zealand has to offer,\u201d says Helson.<\/p>

The degustation meal, and recipes provided in goodie bags, are designed to inspire people to try or buy different types of kaimoana.<\/p>

\u201cWe know that people love to buy fish to cook at home, favour it on restaurant menus, and enjoy seafood as the star of meals at special events,\u201d says Helson.<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re so lucky in New Zealand with the selection of sustainably-produced seafood available to us. Our seas are abundant in fish species, so we can look beyond snapper to varieties like butterfish, which tastes very similar to blue cod.\u201d<\/p>

The purpose of Seafood Saturday is also to highlight the importance of fishing and seafood production to the \u2018blue economy\u2019.<\/p>

\u201cBringing Seafood Saturday to Nelson demonstrates the importance of the blue economy to Nelson and the Top of the South \u2013 where economic value is created from sustainable marine activities such as aquaculture and fishing,\u201d says Helson.<\/p>

Fiona Wilson, CEO of Nelson Regional Development Agency, welcomes a new event that showcases the region\u2019s fresh seafood produce.<\/p>

\u201cWe are excited to see Nelson host this inaugural seafood celebration. The ocean economy is one of our three key production and processing industries, alongside forestry and horticulture,\u201d says Wilson.<\/p>

\u201cNelson is home to Australasia\u2019s largest seafood processing port. Te Tauihu is also the region with New Zealand\u2019s highest share of employment dedicated to food production from the ocean, with around 2,600 jobs in fishing, aquaculture and processing, about five per cent of all employment across the region \u2013 let alone the many people who work in industries that support the sector.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cLocals and visitors alike love the availability of delicious and healthy seafood from our region, and the nearby Marlborough Sounds and West Coast. We\u2019re spoiled for choice really with fresh mussels, fresh fish, salmon and the artisan products made with seafood too.\u201d<\/p>

Sealord CEO Doug Paulin says Sealord is thrilled to be supporting an event that recognises the importance of the seafood sector to the Nelson Tasman community<\/p>

\u201cThe Sealord wh\u0101nau are everything to us,\u201d says Paulin. \u201cLast year we all worked together to renew our vision, which is now \u2018Doing right by our wh\u0101nau and the environment to bring quality seafood to the world,\u2019 and we do that from right here in Nelson.<\/p>

\u201cWe are looking forward to celebrating with the public at Seafood Saturday on 25 March,\u201d he says.<\/p>

Event details<\/strong><\/p>