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The New York Seafood Council (NYSC) is an industry membership organization comprised of individuals, businesses, or organizations involved in the harvesting, processing, wholesale, distribution or sale of seafood products or services to the seafood industry in New York.
 In 1991, the Marine Resources and Products Council, doing business as New York’s Seafood Council, was officially incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to coordinate seafood marketing and promotion activities for the seafood industry in New York. The New York Seafood Council’s current membership includes over 200 individuals or businesses associated with the seafood industry in New York. Since incorporation, the Council’s programs and activities have been guided by a Board of Directors that represents various sectors of New York’s seafood industry. Roger Tollefsen, of Hampton Bays has served as President of the New York Seafood Council since 1991. Ken Gall, Seafood Specialist with the New York Sea Grant Extension Program has served as Technical Advisor to the Councils’ Board of Directors since 1989. The Council has also employed a full or part-time Program Assistant since 1992. The Council’s current Program Assistant is Mr. Bill Hammer who has worked part-time for the Council since 1997.
 Current members of the Council’s Board of Directors include:
Top Row:
Roger Tollefsen, Hampton Bays, NY
Chris McManus, Hewlett Fish Market, Hewlett, NY
Ken Homan, George Braun Oyster Company, Cutchogue, NY,
Ken Gall, New York Sea Grant
Bottom Row:
Bob Doxsee, Doxsee Sea Clam Company, Point Lookout, NY,
Lance Edwards, SYSCO Food Services, Glen Cove, NY,
Paul Salke, Sunrise Lobster, Bayport, NY
Not Shown
Bill Zeller, Captree Clam Company, West Babylon, NY
Dave Schaper, Sayville, NY,
Paul Houghton Catering Long Island, Patchogue, NY
New York Seafood Council Goals and Programs
 The New York Seafood Council’s primary goal is to coordinate the marketing and promotion of seafood products and the seafood industry. The New York Seafood Council has developed and delivered a number of marketing and public education initiatives to help the citizens of New York state better understand and appreciate the seafood products available in the New York marketplace and the industry that produces those products.
The Council’s initial marketing program in the early 1990's was called "Long Island Fresh". It featured a poster of a colorful composite fish made up of important NY seafood products. Consumer education efforts associated with this initiative focused on the seasonal availability of New York seafood products and information on the NYSC's "Seafood Pick of the Month" was distributed to the media, consumers and the seafood industry in New York.
 This effort was later revised to identify New York products available on a seasonal basis and another marketing effort entitled “New York Seafood: A Meal for All Seasons” was launched several years later. A full color poster and recipe booklets featuring the species most abundant during each of the four seasons was distributed to the media, consumers and the seafood industry. Chefs from across the Long Island and New York City area developed recipes for this series.
The Council’s next public information effort was entitled “New York Seafood: A Natural Prescription for Good Health”. It was designed to focus attention on the increasing body of scientific evidence that indicates that including seafood regularly in the diet can have a positive impact on health. Since the beginning of the new millennium, the Council has devoted considerable effort to the development and marketing of its website ( www.nyseafood.org) which is designed to help consumers get better access to information about New York seafood products, seafood nutrition, preparation, and current issues and topics related to seafood products.
 The Council’s Website has been prominently featured in two marketing initiatives involving billboards on major highways and on the Long Island Railroad and New York City Subway system.
The Council's next initiative encouraged consumers to "Get the facts......Not a Fish Story" by visiting our Website.
The New York Seafood Council is also engaged in helping New Yorker’s better understand the seafood industry in the state. A four-color poster featuring individuals employed in each of the industry’s sectors was developed in the mid 1990s, and the Council compiled information to document the size and economic impact of the seafood industry in New York State.
The Council has worked hard to help the seafood industry establish an effective communication network to meet the challenges of the next century. A Fax on Demand system was established in 1998 that allows the industry to retrieve fisheries management and other information when it is needed at any time of the day or night. The Council also produces a bi-weekly newsletter called Nibbles which provides current information on issues relevant to the seafood industry.
The New York Seafood Council has also played an active role in helping the seafood industry in New York understand and implement the new science-based system of food safety controls called HACCP. The Council worked with the New York Sea Grant program, the FDA, and the NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets, to train over 1,000 individuals from the seafood industry and federal and state regulatory agencies about this new preventative system of food safety controls.
Our latest marketing effort has again concentrated on promoting seafood, through a bumper sticker suggesting "Fall in Love With Seafood" and the seafood industry, through a window decal announcing membership in New York's Seafood Council.
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