For the second consecutive year, every vendor at the Louisiana Shrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid has been verified as serving 100 percent local, wild-caught Gulf shrimp, following independent genetic testing, which SeaD Consulting once again conducted.

Using the RIGHTTest system, SeaD tested shrimp from each participating vendor during the festival. All samples passed, confirming the shrimp served originated from Gulf waters and were not imported. Organizers say the testing program sets a new national standard for seafood festivals focused on transparency and authenticity.

The Louisiana Shrimp Festival’s commitment comes amid heightened scrutiny across the Gulf Coast seafood scene. Last year, SeaD exposed vendors at both the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City, Louisiana, for selling imported shrimp while advertising local product. In response, the National Shrimp Festival created a chief shrimp investigator role and contracted SeaD to test every vendor.

New Orleans Jazz Fest also had genetic testing onsite. Only one vendor was found out of compliance. According to SeaD, festivals across the region are increasingly recognizing that consumer trust and community sustainability depend on serving what they promise.

“It’s hard to believe that we have to ensure compliance through genetic testing, but here we are,” said Dana Honn, of the Louisiana Shrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid. “The flood of imports in the U.S. has deeply impacted our shrimping communities, and we’re proud to be in our second year providing education, transparency, and support for our coastal fishers. We have to save them. I don’t want a world where we don’t have a seafaring community providing local fresh shrimp.”

Festival organizers said vendors worked directly with local fishermen throughout the weekend to keep shrimp supplies fresh and Gulf-sourced, reinforcing the event’s theme- Save Our Shrimpers (SOS). The efforts aim to bolster consumer confidence while supporting Louisiana’s shrimping communities and preserving the region’s maritime heritage.

The second annual Louisiana Shrimp Festival and Shrimp Aid took place Oct. 18-19 at the Broadside in Mid-city New Orleans. Process from the event support initiatives focused on helping shrimpers and strengthening local seafood markets.