Virginia Marine Products Board

• The Virginia Marine Products Board is the marketing arm of the seafood industry. In this capacity, the board conducts a comprehensive marketing program designed to upgrade and expand both domestic and foreign sales and markets to further the overall economic development of the industry.
• It is an internationally recognized marketing board within the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services comprised of eleven members appointed by the Governor including representatives from large and small processing firms, the menhaden industry, commercial harvesters, wholesale/distributors and exporters.
• All funds are received from industry license fees not from general funds of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia’s seafood marketing budget is approximately $300,000.
• The board staff conducts trade advertising, direct marketing, trade shows, and international video conferences, marketing calls and merchandising programs for wholesale distributors, retailers and restaurateurs. The board has launched an in-state public education program to help the Commonwealth citizens understand the part the seafood industry plays in the state’s tradition and economy, as well as the part citizens can play in keeping Virginia’s waterways clean. The staff also maintains up-to-date web sites at www.virginiaseafood.org and virginiaoysters.org. We have added retail store locations in Virginia where you can purchase Virginia seafood. Also linked to our website is an Aquaculture Oysters website, where you can find the Aquaculture Growers Directory. This site averages over 11,000 hits per day from all over the world.

• Virginia Marine Products Board has developed cooperative programs with numerous groups such as the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Wine Board, the Southern United States Trade Association, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation to open new markets and increase seafood demand without increasing costs to the board.
• The Board’s promotional programs have earned a number of awards, including two internationally prestigious Marketing Excellence Awards from Seafood Business magazine, numerous ADDY awards and international exhibit design awards.Industry “firsts” have included the first point-of-purchase video for the industry, a unique seafood quality video, the first direct marketing program in the industry, the first state-branded seafood program, the first chef’s Seafood Challenge and consumer recipe contest, and the first retail value added program.

Contact Us

You can learn more about Virginia Seafood by contacting the Virginia Marine Products Board:

Virginia Marine Product Board
554 Denbigh Boulevard, Suite B
Newport News, Virginia 23608
Phone: 757-874-3474
Fax: 757-886-0671