November 18, 2022VMPB NBC 12 Richmond Interview
Mike Hutt, Executive Director, of the Virginia Marine Products Board was on NBC 12 Richmond in a live interview at the top of the 12:00 P.M. hour on November 16, 2022. During the interview Mike informed the public of the wide variety of Virginia seafood. He highlighted the fact that November is Virginia Oyster month, and that Virginia leads the East Coast in Oyster production and leads the nation in Clam production. He talked about the importance of the Blue Crabs and Sea Scallops to the Virginia Commercial Industry, and then mentioned valuable finfish species in the state, such as Menhaden which has a variety of uses. One of Menhaden’s uses is as bait, and it is refined down and used in such products as Omega 3 tablets and pet food. Other valuable finfish that Mike mentioned were Rockfish, Flounder and Wild Blue Catfish. Also mentioned was the history of the Blue Catfish introduction in Virginia, with its abundance and the impact on other Virginia species. Mike also talked about how important the Commercial Seafood Industry is to the economy of the state of Virginia. A recent study of the economic impact of the seafood industry conducted by Virginia Tech on behalf of the VMPB found that the Commercial Seafood Industry contributes over 1 billion dollars to Virginia’s economy not including any restaurant and retail sales. Mike also mentioned the importance of our Commercial Watermen, Waterwomen and processors who have been passing down these skills for generations that make all of this possible. For those of you who missed the interview live, a link directing you to our Facebook page where the video is uploaded is posted below.