Our History
More than a Good Product
We believe that a good product is only the beginning of a good business relationship.
A 5-generation family tradition that began in 1860, we at Wood’s Fisheries strive to provide our customers with only the best in Wild American Shrimp. We have grown our company on a passion for our product, a commitment to consistent quality, the ability to deliver a reliable supply stream, and the integrity you demand to ensure we will stand behind every case of shrimp we produce.
We believe that a good product is only the beginning of a good business relationship. We will build a strong relationship with your company through good communication, expert product knowledge, high-quality standards, and a year-round source of the best product available. We have been meeting our customers’ needs for over 145 years, and we look forward to meeting yours today and in the future.
A Legacy Rooted in the Forgotten Coast
Five generations of Forgotten Coast seafood, Wood’s Fisheries, Inc., and SeaKist Shrimp, are among the larger players in Florida’s shrimp game.
Weathering the Storms of Change
After the new millennium dawned, a vast majority of independent and corporate shrimp retailers and wholesalers took a terrible financial beating—many forced to close due to the high cost of regulation and the flood of cheap imports. Yet, through resilience and family dedication, SeaKist Shrimp and Wood’s Fisheries, led by CEO Edward E. Wood Sr., VP Mark Godwin, and VP Edward E. Wood Jr., stood strong and emerged as a leading force in the shrimping industry.
Humble Beginnings on the Gulf
Mr. Wood’s ancestors, almost all of whom were anglers of some sort, arrived in the Port St. Joe domain in the late 1800s. Gabe Wood and his son Daniel Elton, called “L” Wood, were the first to arrive, planting family roots and catching fish, and building fishing vessels. In the late fifties, Edward’s grandfather, M.C. (stands for MC), and his son Edward E. Wood Sr., known locally as Buddy Wood, decided to try their hand at shrimping.
They started with one boat and would catch shrimp in the masses. In the beginning, they sold their catch fresh to unloading docks around the coast. Later, they formed a partnership and began unloading their own shrimp here in Port St. Joe. He and his son, Buddy, would sit on the side of Highway 98 and wait for the seafood trucks bound for New Orleans to stop and buy their fresh catch.
A Turning Point: From Fresh to Frozen
Fate has a way of stepping in when you least expect it. One afternoon in the late sixties, a woman, Ruth Corbit, stopped to talk with the two Forgotten Coast shrimpers, and informed them she was from “Florida Seafood” out of Jacksonville, explaining to them how they could go from making 2 cents to over 30 cents a pound if they would freeze their catch in 5lb boxes. A business relationship was born that day, and a growing local icon began to surface.
Five Generations of Faith & Hard Work
Their first building had no top or phone. However, the Wood family quickly grew to a dozen boats and two buildings. In 1973, MC and Buddy Wood incorporated the business and moved to their current location on the canal. The truck on the side of the road evolved into one of the largest, most reputable shrimp entities in the nation.
Specializing in fresh, domestic wild-caught Forgotten Coast shrimp, Wood’s Fisheries will soon feature the area’s only aquatic farming facility. Transforming over a hundred years through five generations into an example of faith and hard work, Wood’s Fisheries and SeaKist Shrimp puts the Forgotten Coast on the map, in yet another thriving tradition of American entrepreneurialism.