Louisiana Seafood

What Louisiana Seafood does

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board is a state government entity created by the State of Louisiana in 1984 to promote the state's commercial seafood industry. Operating under the oversight of the Lieutenant Governor, it is led by Executive Director Samantha Carroll, supported by Assistant Executive Director Maggie Bryson and Social Media Coordinator Jenna Hewitt, with a Board of Directors composed of industry representatives spanning shrimp, crab, crawfish, oysters, finfish, and alligator sectors. The board's core offerings are a content-driven website (louisianaseafood.com), a 316+ recipe database, a Supplier Locator connecting 28+ consumer and commercial vendors, and two annual culinary competitions: the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off (LASCO, since 2008) and the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO). It also runs an Event Sponsorship Program funding qualifying local, regional, and national events.

The organization has no proprietary technology product; its "platform" is a marketing website with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility compliance and GDPR-aware data handling. Revenue is not commercially generated — the board is funded through state appropriations and industry/event sponsorships (e.g., Luzianne, Blue Plate Mayo, Louisiana Travel). It does not sell seafood directly; its role is to build demand for Louisiana-origin seafood across consumer and commercial food-service audiences, leveraging the state's position as the nation's second-largest seafood supplier and largest commercial fishery in the contiguous U.S., with 850+ million pounds produced annually.

Strategic partnerships extend the board's reach: the Louisiana Restaurant Association co-promotes the cook-offs, Louisiana Travel acts as a core sponsor tying seafood to tourism, and a 2018 Guinness World Record event with Walk-On's raised over $50,000 for Fisher House Foundation. The board operates primarily within Louisiana and the Gulf Coast U.S., with national exposure through GASCO's multi-state chef participation.

Name

Louisiana Seafood

Legal name

Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board

Website

https://louisianaseafood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board is a state-created marketing entity that promotes Louisiana's commercial seafood industry through a recipe-rich website, supplier directory, and two annual national culinary cook-off competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. State Funding and Industry Sponsorships: As a state-created marketing board, Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board operates through state funding and industry sponsorship programs. Event sponsorships (e.g., Cook-Offs, GASCO competition) provide revenue and support promotional activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Louisiana Seafood (the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board) is a state-established marketing organization that promotes Louisiana-origin seafood products including shrimp, crab, crawfish, oysters, finfish, and alligator. It operates a Consumer Supplier Network and a Commercial Supplier Network, hosts annual cook-off competitions, and provides consumer education resources such as recipes, cooking tips, and a supplier locator.

Product overview

Louisiana Seafood, operated by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB), is a marketing and promotional organization rather than a traditional software product. Its core offering is a content-driven website (Louisiana Seafood Website) that promotes Louisiana's seafood industry through a Recipe Database of 316 recipes, a Supplier Locator directory, and educational resources. The organization also runs two major annual culinary competitions: the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off (LASCO) and the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO). Additional offerings include an Event Sponsorship Program that provides funding to qualifying events promoting Louisiana seafood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off (LASCO)
• Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO)
• Consumer Supplier Network
• Commercial Supplier Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Louisiana produces 850+ million pounds of seafood annually, accounting for nearly one-third of all seafood consumed in the U.S.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Louisiana Restaurant AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProud partner in both the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off and Great American Seafood Cook-Offs. Executive chefs for member restaurants are eligible to compete in cook-off events.
• Louisiana TravelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor of the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO), promoting Louisiana as a travel destination alongside seafood.
• Walk-On'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the Guinness World Record gumbo cooking event at Walk-On's Independence Bowl in Shreveport, raising funds for Fisher House Foundation.
• Fisher House FoundationminorOthersDonation recipient of proceeds from the world record gumbo cooking event ($50,000+), providing housing for military families of patients in military and VA medical centers.
• Certified Wild SeafoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization promoting certified wild seafood products alongside Louisiana Seafood branding.
• LuzianneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, providing promotional support for the annual culinary competition.
• Blue Plate MayominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, providing promotional support for the annual culinary competition.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Texas Sea Grant / Texas Gulf Seafood: State-level seafood promotion effort for Texas Gulf-coast species. Comparable in geography (Gulf Coast), species mix, and state-backed structure, and competes for the same chef and consumer mindshare.
• South Carolina Seafood: State-promoted brand for South Carolina seafood (shrimp, oysters, blue crab). Comparable in mandate and structure; a smaller-scale regional analog to Louisiana Seafood.

Emerging players

• North Carolina Seafood (NC Catch): State-supported branding effort promoting North Carolina wild-caught seafood. Comparable state-promotion structure; smaller scale and species overlap (shrimp, oysters, finfish) with Louisiana Seafood.

Direct peers

• Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative: Checkoff-style organization that markets Maine lobster to U.S. consumers and trade. Closely comparable single-protein (lobster) regional seafood promotion board with similar digital, PR, and chef-ambassador tactics.
• Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition: Multi-state marketing effort promoting Gulf-of-Mexico seafood across the Gulf states. Directly comparable in geography and overlapping species (shrimp, oysters), competing for the same consumer awareness as Louisiana Seafood.
• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: State/industry-funded marketing organization that promotes Alaska-origin wild seafood to U.S. consumers, chefs, and retailers. Directly comparable in mandate, event-driven GTM, and content/recipe strategy to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board.
• Maryland Department of Agriculture - Seafood Marketing: State-level program promoting Maryland seafood (notably blue crab and oysters). Comparable in mandate, single-state funding model, and event-driven GTM to Louisiana Seafood.

Broad incumbents

• Norwegian Seafood Council: National council marketing Norwegian seafood globally with sophisticated content, chef, and trade programs. Comparable as a large-scale, well-funded seafood marketing organization pursuing the same U.S. consumer as Louisiana Seafood.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/laseafoodboard
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVSoaogFzJo3gXXFnmB5wDw
• Facebookfacebook.com/LouisianaSeafood
• Instagraminstagram.com/laseafoodboard
• Pinterestpinterest.com/laseafood

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Louisiana Seafood