With a mission to deliver the world’s tastiest shrimp, Florida’s Wood’s Fisheries goes out of its way to ensure customers a premium product. Photo: Wood’s Fisheries
by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor
Bringing origin and quality assurance in the shrimping industry to a whole new level, Florida’s Wood’s Fisheries raises the bar by promoting electronic traceability, sustainability and quality initiatives for all Gulf seafood.
For five generations the Wood’s family has been fishing the Port St. Joe area, located near Panama City. They moved strictly into shrimp fishing in the 1960’s.
“Since the 1850’s we have made huge steps within the sustainability movement,” said Reese Antley, the company’s vice-president of operations while attending SENA/North America in Boston. “From the very beginning we have believed in doing the right thing while fishing the Gulf, now it has a formal term – sustainability.” Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“Since the 1850’s we have made huge steps within the sustainability movement,” said Reese Antley, the company’s vice-president of operations. “From the very beginning we have believed in doing the right thing while fishing the Gulf, now it has a formal term – sustainability.”
With a mission to deliver the world’s tastiest shrimp, the premier processor is going out of its way to ensure customers a premium product. Currently it works closely with approximate 110 offshore freezer boats fishing the entire Gulf, as well as the South Atlantic.
Leading the Way
“Freezer boats at the moment lead the way in producing a premium product with quality control,” said Antley. “Sustainability efforts and Fishery Improvements Projects (FIP) cannot be validated without traceability. Traceability is essential to a FIPs’ success.”
Their most recent sustainability and traceability initiatives helped the company provide the highest quality shrimp to meet the demand of customers. The company has partnered a number of retailers sharing the same concern for traceability and sustainability.
For the Gulf shrimp fishery to improve, issues of controlled tow times, electronic monitoring verified by third party, governmental or NGO’s, and brine control need to be addressed to result in a higher quality of shrimp being harvested. Photo: Wood’s Fisheries
Initiatives include being completely transparent to their buyers who want to know every step of a product’s supply chain including locations and boat names.
Woods has been involved with compliance issues raised by FishWise and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, especially bycatch.
“When you look at the current assessment for the Gulf, you see the yellow rating comes from bycatch issues,” explained the operations manager. “Bycatch standards is the main reason why Gulf shrimp is rated yellow, and Louisiana landed shrimp “red” or “avoid”. Currently the verification of the compliance is not there. To the best of their knowledge, most boats are in compliance but don’t get checked. We require minimum yearly compliance checks.”
This initiative takes commitment from the fishing vessels through distribution. Wood’s has partner docks along the East Coast and in every state on the Gulf Coast that pay more to harvesters willing to abide by their strict traceability, sustainability and quality standards; including providing links all the way back to electronic trip tickets.
Improved handling will increase markets, both domestic and foreign. Gulf Shrimp presently cannot be imported into many European countries because of handling issues. Photo: Wood’s Fisheries
According to the Florida processor, it is time for all Gulf States to start working together, instead of competing against each other. “I think you are starting to see that with the Gulf Seafood Trace program, where the Gulf States all contribute money. Also with their new Gulf Finfo website that provides sustainable information for all Gulf seafood,” he said.
As processors we are behind this movement, but now we are starting to get some rubber to the pavement and see some progress with these fishery improvement projects.
For the Gulf shrimp fishery to improve, issues of controlled tow times, electronic monitoring verified by third party, governmental or non-governmental organizations, and brine control need to be addressed to result in a higher quality of shrimp being harvested.
Improved handling will also increase markets, both domestic and foreign. Gulf Shrimp presently cannot be imported into many European countries because of handling issues. “If we start to do it right, these markets will open,” he explained.
Just Doing Things Right
Doing things right just comes natural for Wood’s Fisheries.
Ten years ago they purchased a catfish farm with the purpose of raising Pacific Vannamei shrimp, 20 miles inland near Howards Creek.
“Before we started to fill the first pond we dug the deepest well in Florida, all the way down to the saltwater aquifer,” Antley said. “This process allows our target salinity to come straight from the ground; we don’t have to add any chemicals such as antibiotics or vitamins.”
For retailers Wood’s provides a quick reference (QR) code on both cartons and individual product bags that takes users to mini websites, showcasing maps of the product’s journey and providing customer friendly information. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
Wood’s now operates 12 ponds producing more than 220,000 pounds of pond-raised shrimp, that according to Antley “taste every bit as good, and are as safe, as wild caught.”
Water from the ponds is recycled, never escaping into the local eco-system. The company has devised a sustainable system that allows it to recapture nutrients from both the water and shrimp; as well as increased the local duck population.
The ponds are harvested once a year, usually in October or November. It is only one of a handful of farm raised shrimp operations in the U.S. meeting the Fish Wise and Monterey Bay green criteria for a green rating.
For retailers Wood’s provides a quick reference (QR) code on both cartons and individual product bags that takes users to mini websites, showcasing maps of the product’s journey and providing customer friendly information. Buyers are able to filter this information and tailor it to their specific audience. These codes can be linked to a retailer or restaurant’s master QR code, eliminating the need to change any point of sale material.
Additionally, Wood’s has created suggested engagement practices to entice consumers to scan codes presented at the point of sale. These offerings include trips to Wood’s facilities and in store demonstrations by their seafood experts.
The company’s goal is to make it as easy to pass information to end-consumers, changing the way they look at domestic seafood and starting a ripple effect that will create change throughout the Gulf.
“The flavor of Gulf shrimp beats all challengers, our goal is to get the presentation quality at the same level,” said Antley. “There is plenty of Gulf shrimp and plenty of markets that demand it, there is room for all of us to grow.”
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