November 5th 4:17 am | Jim Paulin, The Bristol Bay Times-Dutch Harbor Fisherman 
Alaska seafood, "wild, natural, and sustainable," and fine food for man and beast? Well, something like that, but when it comes to dog food, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute wants to make a distinction between the fine dining experience, and fishy dog chow in a bowl on the kitchen floor.
Last week, ASMI's board of directors decided to create a new logo for pet food and other "non human grade" products. Their logo is now restricted to Alaska seafood products intended for human consumption. It shows a fishing boat in placid waters, and the institute doesn't want the new logo to look anything like it, according to the vote last week at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage.
The new logo would indicate the group's "responsible fishery management" program, which already has its own logo, though it incorporates elements of the main logo with the seiner encircled inside a triangle proclaiming "Alaska seafood."
ASMI wants to avoid offending loyal customers it calls "brand advocates," who preach the merits of wild Alaska seafoods to their friends.
"These brand advocates likely don't want to see the very brand they are advocating for on products they also see in the pet food aisle," according to an ASMI memo, which adds that 92 percent of consumers trust brand advocates
But part of the Alaska seafoods' sustainability campaign is full utilization of all the parts of the fish that come from the same pristine water as what is served up in white tablecloth restaurants.
ASMI board member and state legislator Bill Stoltze said sustainability certification appeals to socially-conscious consumers, and that includes pet owners, "who care more about animals than their fellow man."
"The Alaska seafood industry prides itself on responsible use of Alaska fishery resources. This includes its priority on innovation to utilize more of each fish that is harvested. What the industry used to grind and discharge as waste is now often used in emerging markets," including fish oil, meal and bone. "This is an important component of the Alaska sustainability story," according to an October ASMI memo.
While supporting less wasteful practices, ASMI still worries that fishy dog and cat food could take a bite out of the traditional market. "The Alaska Seafood brand is our only real asset."
"We need to protect ASMI's investment and maintain our uniqueness by not exposing our target audience to seeing the same logo they have come to trust at a seafood counter/frozen case or on a menu, and then now also on non-human grade products like pet food — no matter how high quality the pet food may be," the memo said.
Jim Paulin can be reached at jpaulin@reportalaska.com
