Have You Tried Eco-Friendly Co-op Shrimp
added 12/23/09
This Co-op-exclusive product is both delicious and environmentally friendly.
Wood’s Fisheries Farm-Raised
Florida White Gulf Shrimp
In 1996, Wood’s Fisheries built a state-of-the-art facility it credits with helping to deliver “the world’s tastiest shrimp.” Wood’s Fisheries is also a pioneer in the environmental arena, actively working with Ocean Trust and FishWise to promote a healthy ecosystem in the Gulf waters by reducing bi-catch (non-shrimp sea life caught in shrimping nets). Wood’s Fisheries helped design nets that reduced bi-catch such as juvenile red snapper and recreational and commercial fish. These newer nets, called “byrds,” became mandatory on all shrimp boats in 1987 and feature an apparatus called a turtle excluder device or TED, which allows sea turtles to escape through a “safety hatch.”
Working with independent shrimpers, Wood’s Fisheries continues to find ways to implement new, eco-friendly shrimping methods. In recent years, in an effort to further reduce bi-catch, Wood’s Fisheries conducted studies that resulted in significantly lighter net gear, which reduced water pressure and allowed more fish to escape shrimp nets.
Why the “World’s Tastiest”?
Much like the Co-op’s philosophy of serving as a buyer for our members rather than a distributor for food vendors, Wood’s Fisheries will not sell any shrimp that would not meet the personal high standards of the fishery founders. Wood’s Fisheries guarantees no flavor change for six months. Using a Swedish-designed “aero-freeze” method, the fishery eliminates the industry-standard use of liquid nitrogen as a freezing catalyst, preventing damage to product quality from such extreme temperatures.
Wood’s Fisheries currently freezes about 3.5 million pounds of shrimp per year. The aero-freeze method, while costing significantly more upfront, costs less to use requiring half the electricity of a typical operation.
Premium Quality
Unlike much of the shrimp imported into the U.S. from abroad, Wood’s Fisheries uses no chemicals, preservatives or additives. According to Co-op Merchandiser Paul Hoffman, a former chef and recreational shrimper of coastal waters in South Carolina and Georgia, “The proof of Wood’s superior quality in both their farm-raised and wild caught shrimp is in the flavor, crispness, sweetness and texture. I simply have not tasted any shrimp this good that I didn’t catch and prepare myself.”
At the Co-op Seafood Departments
The Co-op Seafood Departments will have these shrimp available in the following forms:
- raw, shell-on;
- raw, whole (head-on); and
- raw, e-z peel (head-off, split down back)
Wood’s Fisheries does not offer cooked versions of its shrimp. The Co-op Seafood Department can steam shrimp for customers and provide cooking and preparation information for home chefs.
See you in the Seafood Department!
