Freshwater fish to be in focus at 2026 Upstate New York Seafood Summit

Anglers, aquaculture producers, processors, chefs, food safety, researchers to gather

New York Sea Grant press release

New York Sea Grant announced the 2026 Upstate New York Seafood Summit will be held from 1-4 p.m. April 9 at the Oswego Public Library, 120 E. Second St. The annual Seafood Summits are designed to encourage cross-collaboration by fishermen, aquaculture producers, retailers, producers, chefs and other professionals. The event is free to attend. More information and registration is online at nyseagrant.org/seafoodsummit or call 631-824-4746.

Seafood Summits organizer Michael Ciaramella, Ph.D., as seafood safety and technology specialist with New York Sea Grant, said, "Seafood Summit topics respond to stakeholder needs and have ranged from production, marketing, packaging and food safety to fisheries sustainability, workforce development, and connecting with supply chain buyers and the culinary industry."

The Upstate New York Seafood Summit is expected to have food safety, research and industry update presentations by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health, and New York Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist Barry Udelson.

The Oswego event will also include State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego Assistant Professor Ellen Karboski, Ph.D., sharing highlights from the first year of a collaboration between SUNY Oswego and local fish processor Tom Allen providing Great Lakes species for students to gain experience with using fisheries research techniques. Karboski's research focus is on Great Lakes-native fish ecology.

Chef Jeff Deloff of the French bistro Touche' in Syracuse will offer a food industry professional's view in a culinary connection segment of the program.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County executive director and nutritionist Moira Tidball will demonstrate how to make yellow perch shrimp cocktail, and talk about the wild fish preparation techniques, recipes and nutrition information available through the WildHarvestTable.com resource she co-created.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Culinary Institute of America, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, the Center for Aquatic Animal Research and Management, and Choose Local F.I.S.H. are among the partners of the Seafood Summit series. For more information, contact Ciaramella at mc2544@cornell.edu or 631-824-4746.

Since the first Seafood Summit downstate in 2016, New York Sea Grant has expanded the summits into New York's upstate freshwater regions. Networking and discussions at the events help guide New York Sea Grant programming to provide relevant research, education and extension resources to the seafood industry. Learn more at linktr.ee/NYSGSeafoodLinks.

New York Sea Grant is a statewide, university-based program that connects research, outreach and education to the needs of New York's coastal communities, environments and economies. It is a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, with 14 offices statewide, and a part of the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Learn more at nyseagrant.org.