Since 1948, the Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island has been fishing, shrimping, processing, and selling local seafood to thousands of customers from all over the country, and the world. After 76 years in business, you would be hard pressed to find many other families in the Lowcountry who are more synonymous with the shrimping and fishing industry.
To do something special for the commercial fishermen that are docked there, and to raise awareness for the industry to the public, the family-owned seafood company is hosting its first ever Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony on April 27th, and the public is welcome to attend.
“This ceremony is open to spectators, and will honor our dedicated commercial fisherman who brave the waters daily in pursuit of bounty,” Gay Fish Company said in a release on Facebook.
“Due to the current condition of our dock, this year’s event will be exclusively for our currently docked commercial fisherman and those invited by private invitation,” it said.
“Spectators are welcome to attend and light refreshments will be served. There will be a designated seating area so feel free to bring a chair.”
The much-loved sea island seafood company whose iconic boat docks and store are visible along Sea Island Parkway on the way to Fripp, Hunting and Harbor Islands, has been a fixture in the community since 1948.
In the 1960’s, one of the family members invented the name “Frogmore Stew” for the popular dish of shrimp, corn, sausage and potatoes, and it stuck. Now that is what the dish is most known as throughout this part of the South.
The family also owns and operates the popular, award-winning, Shrimp Shack restaurant located just across the highway from their docks, and even Paramount Pictures bought all of the shrimp from them for the movie Forrest Gump.
The Gay Fish Company inaugural Blessing of the Fleet ceremony is scheduled for April 27th at 10am. The docks and store are located at 1948 Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena Island.
As iconic as their family business is to the Lowcountry, it’s fitting that the Gay Fish Company is doing something special in hosting a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony for area commercial fishermen.
