FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are Certified Wild American® Shrimp and where can I buy them?
Wild American Shrimp is premium-quality seafood caught by professional shrimpers along the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard and delivered fresh to local docks. Consumers should ask for Certified Wild American Shrimp at their local grocery stores, seafood markets and restaurants.

Where are they harvested?
Wild-caught American shrimp flourish in nutrient-rich marshes and estuaries before migrating to the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. They mature at a natural pace, swimming freely in the waters off the coastline. Wild-caught American shrimp are abundant, and are not considered “threatened” or “endangered.”

How are they harvested?
Generations of professional shrimpers trawl the waters seasonally with cone shaped nets that yield about 200 million pounds of the healthful seafood. They use devices called TEDs and BRDs that allow larger fish and marine life such as sea turtles to escape from the nets. The shrimp are only harvested in season usually from May through November. In some places, because the waters remain warmer, the season lasts into winter.

Are Certified Wild American Shrimp available year-round?
Yes. While the seasons vary from state to state, the latest innovative freezing processes ensure their availability year round from Wild American Shrimp, Inc. (WASI) certified facilities.

How are Certified Wild American Shrimp sized? Are there different varieties?
Shrimp are sized and sold by count (number of shrimp per pound) either whole or headless. For example, headless shrimp of 16/20 count means there are 16 to 20 headless shrimp per pound. Counts for headless shrimp range from under 10 (the largest shrimp) to 300/500 (the smallest).

There are four species of wild-caught American shrimp, categorized by four colors: white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus), brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) and royal red shrimp (Pleoticus robustus or Hymenopenaeus robustus).

Will Certified Wild American Shrimp be labeled as such in seafood markets, grocery stores and restaurants?
Not always. Consumers should ask their grocer, seafood distributor or restaurant manager if they sell Certified Wild American Shrimp. If they don’t, request that they replace imported product with naturally harvested Certified Wild American Shrimp. Country of origin labeling laws took effect September 30, 2004 to help consumers distinguish the origin and method of production of seafood.

What does the certification mark mean?
The Wild American Certification Program ensures that warm-water, wild caught shrimp from U.S. coastal waters meet a high standard of quality and consistency. Shrimp that meet these stringent standards are labeled with the distinctive Certified Wild American Shrimp mark. Participation in the certification program is available to harvesters, processors, distributors, retailers, grocers, and restaurateurs. Wild American Shrimp, Inc. administers the program.

Is there any nutritional benefit to eating Certified Wild American Shrimp?
These low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb shrimp are a protein-rich food containing heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have found that shrimp are an excellent source of vitamins D and B12, as well as selenium, which may assist in cancer protection. They are also a good source of niacin and iron.

A three-ounce serving supplies nearly 18 grams of protein – almost a third of the daily requirement – with only 84 calories and less than one gram of fat and one gram of carbohydrates.

How do Certified Wild American Shrimp differ from farm-raised shrimp?
Wild-caught American shrimp grow naturally and are fished in their natural environment. The result is healthy shrimp harvests. The vast majority of shrimp imported into the country are raised in ponds. Because there is currently no way for consumers to tell the source of most pond-raised shrimp on the market, the Monterey Bay Aquarium “maintains a general recommendation to avoid farm-raised shrimp from unknown sources.”

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, “valuable Southeast Asian coastal wetlands, especially mangrove forests, are often destroyed to create commercial shrimp farms. Where shrimp are cultivated intensively, pollutants and disease organisms build up in the muck beneath each pond. After a few years, the pond can no longer support healthy shrimp. The pond is abandoned and the farm must expand to fresh territory. The contaminated muck cannot support regrowth of the mangrove forest, so the ecosystem will not recover for decades, if ever.”

Is the taste different?
Wild-caught American shrimp get their flavor and color from their natural diet of marine organisms, and because they grow in a natural environment and are harvested at the height of the season, the flesh is firm, the color fresh and the taste is sweet.

This unique flavor profile is thought by researchers at Texas A&M University to be due primarily to the increased abundance of free amino acids, which the animals utilize to counteract the large osmotic gradient that exists in salty offshore waters. They also speculate that the unique flavor of wild shrimp is due in part to their diet of high-protein, natural foods versus the cereal, grain-based feeds required to raise shrimp at high densities in ponds.

What is WASI, and why was it formed?
Wild American Shrimp, Inc. (WASI) is the marketing organization representing the Southern Shrimp
Alliance. Its goal is to increase public awareness and to educate consumers about the advantages of choosing seafood that grows naturally, is caught fresh and supports the U.S. shrimp community. Marketing and promotional activities are achieved through a variety of programs including grocery store promotions, restaurant programs, public relations, and media advertising.

WASI represents the domestic shrimp community in eight southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

Is the U.S. shrimp community thriving?
National Marine Fisheries Service data shows that the U.S. shrimp industry is the most valuable seafood industry nationwide. But thousands of jobs in the shrimping community have been lost to shrimp imports and thousands more are threatened if the industry is not supported. Buying Certified Wild American Shrimp helps support an American legacy.

Is Americans appetite for shrimp on the rise?
Americans eat more than a billion pounds of shrimp each year, making it the top selling seafood in the U.S., according to the National Fisheries Institute. Consumption has been rising an average of 33 million pounds a year every year since 1980. Easy to prepare, most fans prefer it sautéed, but it also can be grilled, fried, boiled and steamed.

Where can I get more information about Certified Wild American Shrimp?
More information is available online at www.wildamericanshrimp.com.