Real Seafood is a non-profit organization registered in North Carolina, USA. Our mission is to ensure that seafood labeling is accurate to improve marine conservation and protect human health. We do this through genetic testing, vendor certification, and public education.
OUR STORY
It started with the Seafood Forensics course our executive director Dr. John Bruno teaches at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The course introduces first year students to research and basic laboratory techniques including DNA barcoding. Students then design a project to measure the extent of seafood mislabeling across the region. After five years of documenting mislabeling in shrimp, red snapper, sushi, etc., it was time to develop a solution.
In the fall of 2019, the class piloted a seafood certification program. We worked with ten local restaurants and markets and tested all of the seafood they sold weekly. Seven of our participating vendors were certified!
Now, we’re scaling up. We’re working with seafood vendors and distributors across the region to ensure their products are accurately labeled. We’re also sharing our list of certified seafood markets and restaurants with the public, so seafood lovers know where to go to buy the seafood they’re looking for. We want to support seafood vendors who are doing things right, and give consumers the information they need to find accurately-labeled seafood.
Our seafood sample collection and genetic testing is performed by UNC students as they gain valuable research experience. Our methods are thoroughly-tested and our scientists double-check every sample to ensure the results are accurate. We are seafood lovers too! Which is why we are working hard to support those in the seafood community who have our environment, health, and fisheries in mind.
Our Team
Chair of the Board Erin Spencer is a marine ecologist and science writer based in Miami, Florida. She earned her BS degree in Ecology from the College of William and Mary, where as an undergraduate she gave a Tedx Talk on invasive species management. Erin received her MS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied red snapper mislabeling and management in the southeastern U.S. She is now a PhD student at Florida International University where she studies predator-prey interactions and shark energetics.
Executive director John Bruno is a marine ecologist and Professor in the Department of Biology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. John grew up fishing and surfing in South Florida. He earned his BS in Biology from Northeastern University and his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University. John’s research is focused on marine conservation, particularly in understanding and limiting the impacts of climate change on coral reef ecosystems. His fieldwork takes him to remote locations across the Caribbean and Galápagos. John also serves as secretary of Real Seafood’s board of directors.
Founding board member Katherine Grigg is a Seattle-based Aussie and a Senior Technical Manager at Confluent. Kat has worked in solutions architecture, engineering, and product management across existing and across a huge range of industries - finance, video on demand, government, video games, legal, music, higher education, publishing, environment, and research. She has a BS in Computer Science and Law and an MS in Environmental Science and has worked for many for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in the environmental and social sector. Kat is a board member and advises us on strategy, marketing, digital operations, and community outreach