\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Seafood_Summit_Riverhead_IMG_10-scaled-e1775243871892-1024x658.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe New York Seafood Summit\u2019s working waterfront panel at the March 27 event in Riverhead. Left to right: Amanda Jones, director of operations at Inlet Seafood; Eric Koepele, preside of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association; Sarah Lansdale, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning; and Ann Welker, Suffolk County legislator. (Photo Credit: Sumayyah Uddin for New York Sea Grant)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no better place to learn about the issues that Long Island\u2019s seafood industry is facing than at the\u00a0New York Seafood Summit<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now celebrating its 10th year, the summit has become a must-attend gathering for everyone with a stake in New York\u2019s waters \u2014 from fishermen and oyster growers to chefs, scientists and policymakers. Organized by\u00a0New York Sea Grant<\/a>\u00a0with assistance from\u00a0Cornell Cooperative Extension\u2019s Marine Program<\/a>, the event is held at various locations around the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s series kicked off on March 27 at the Riverhead Free Library, drawing a crowd of Long Island professionals from the culinary, fisheries and aquaculture worlds. Two additional sessions will be held at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park on April 8 and at the Oswego Public Library in Oswego on April 9.<\/p>\n The summit serves as a place to connect. As Michael Ciaramella, Seafood Safety and Technology\u00a0Specialist at New York Sea Grant explains, the event was launched in 2016 to bring together different sectors of New York\u2019s seafood economy: \u201cacademics, decision-makers, and others with a vested interest in fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ciaramella says that the summit\u2019s purpose is \u201cto foster cross\u2011sector communication and learning, identify challenges and opportunities, and encourage collaboration to support and strengthen fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood activities across New York State.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Riverhead session, industry voices like Bonnie Brady of the\u00a0Long Island Commercial Fishing Association<\/a> and Eric Koepele of the\u00a0Long Island Oyster Growers Association<\/a>\u00a0(LIOGA), gave updates on their respective organizations and on issues they are facing, including the damaging effects of a cold, icy winter on oyster gear and high fuel costs.<\/p>\n