To ensure all shrimp sold at the Annual National Shrimp Festival comply with new state seafood labeling laws, organizers have established a partnership with SeaD Consulting to DNA test shrimp sold at the festival.

The partnership originated due to sponsorship by the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama (OSAA).

“We are very pleased to once again have the OSAA on board as a sponsor after an absence of several years,” Shrimp Festival Chairman Rob Barnas said. “The sponsorship money from the association allowed us to bring in SeaD Consulting to the Festival. SeaD will work alongside Chandra Wright, our volunteer Chief Shrimp Investigator to make sure our vendors are complying with state laws.”

Alabama’s seafood labeling law took effect last year and requires sellers of fish or shellfish to disclose if the fish or shellfish is domestic or foreign and whether the fish or shellfish is farm-raised or wild-caught.

 “For more than a decade now, our contracts state that vendors must use domestic shrimp. If they are caught using imported shrimp, they are subject to a fine and even dismissal from the festival,” Barnas said. “The problem was that it took weeks for DNA testing to come back. SeaD’s technology provides inexpensive, portable genetic testing equipment that enables us to get results in just a few hours.”

OSAA’s mission is to support Alabama commercial seafood industries and promote greater efficiency in meeting the needs of those industries. Ernie Anderson is president of the OSAA.  

“We’re proud to be on board again as a sponsor of the Shrimp Festival. It’s important that we do everything we can to make sure the hard-working men and women from our state who bring in the tastiest shrimp anywhere get their just due. It’s not right and just plain dishonest to advertise Alabama wild caught shrimp when you’re serving imported shrimp grown on a farm,” he said. “With SeaD’s new testing, we can make sure these bad actors are found out in a short time, and we are proud to sponsor the testing.”

He adds, “We encourage folks to join the festival this year to support the domestic industry and make it a record-breaking year for them and their seafood vendors.”

SeaD Consulting works with seafood producers, researchers, governments and environmental advocates to promote sustainability and truth in seafood sourcing. SeaD holds the patent for the Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test (RIGHTTest) and leads landmark studies across the Gulf and beyond.

“We developed this technology because we are passionate about preserving the seafood industry along the Gulf Coast”, SeaD Consulting President David Williams said. “We are proud to bring authentication testing of shrimp dishes to the Shrimp Festival and looking forward to this first year of partnership.”

“I’m honored to serve as the first Chief Shrimp Investigator. While it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek and we want to have fun with it, there’s a serious mission behind it,” Chandra Wright said. “With 52 years of festival history, we want to get back to its original intention to celebrate our local shrimping industry. The hardworking men and women who harvest, process and market our Gulf shrimp need and deserve our support. I’m looking forward to getting to know our vendors throughout the week as I learn more about their dishes and what kinds of shrimp they are serving. I’m also excited to work with the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama and SeaD Consulting to talk to festival attendees about our Gulf shrimp and why it’s important to our history and our economy.”

More information on this year’s festival, happening Oct. 9-12, including activities, vendors, and music lineup can be found on myshrimpfest.com.