Saving Seafood

DNA testing of Gulf Coast restaurants’ shrimp reveals continued mislabeling

October 23, 2025 —  A follow-up investigation conducted by SeaD Consulting using its RIGHTTest™ (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test) has revealed new insights into shrimp sourcing integrity at Gulf Coast restaurants.

The retesting, part of an ongoing regional study supported by the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), found both encouraging signs of progress and persistent misrepresentation in the labeling and sourcing of shrimp served to local diners.

SeaD Consulting was previously commissioned by the SSA in March this year to conduct genetic tests on shrimp dishes from 44 restaurants in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley.

Fifty percent of restaurants from SeaD’s March’s DNA testing were randomly selected for follow-up. Of the 22 restaurants retested this month, findings show that 10 out of 22 were serving imports (46%) compared to 19 out of 44 (43%) previously tested in March 2025.

In October last year, Alabama legislators enacted the Alabama Seafood Labeling Law, which requires establishments to disclose the country of origin and whether seafood is wild-caught or farm-raised. The Alabama Department of Public Health is tasked with enforcing this law.

Read the full article at Gulf Coast Media

ALABAMA: Shrimp Festival Makes History: Imported Shrimp Vendors Stopped on the Spot

October 14, 2025 — The following was released by OSAA and SeaD Consulting:

Hi there,

For the first time in its 52-year history, the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores enforced shrimp authenticity in real time — with DNA testing by SeaD Consulting funded by the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama (OSAA).
Using SeaD’s RIGHTTest™ technology, shrimp served at the festival was verified on-site in under two hours, allowing Chief Shrimp Investigator (CSI) Chandra Wright and her team to identify vendors selling imported shrimp. Those vendors were immediately fined and prohibited from selling shrimp until they could show proof and retesting was conducted on their dishes.
“This was a defining moment for Alabama’s seafood industry,” said Ernie Anderson, President of OSAA. “If you’re promoting wild-caught Gulf shrimp, that’s exactly what you should be serving. With this technology, we can finally ensure that promise is kept.”
Wright added, “The RIGHTTest changed everything. For the first time, we could protect consumers and stand up for our shrimpers — right there, in real time.”
The partnership between OSAA, SeaD Consulting, and the National Shrimp Festival has set a new national benchmark for authenticity and accountability — ensuring that local celebrations truly support local industries.

ALABAMA: A year after embarrassing results, DNA testing returns to Alabama shrimp festival

October 10, 2025 — The National Shrimp Festival, taking place in Gulf Shores, Alabama, U.S.A., will now require all shrimp being sold at the four-day event to be tested to ensure they are local, wild-caught shellfish after random sampling at last year’s event found foreign shrimp being sold by multiple vendors.

“It’s important for everyone – distributors, processors, restaurants, and festivals – to ensure they are serving the wild-caught local shrimp they claim to offer,” Henry Barnes, the mayor of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, said in a release. “Our community depends on it. When a festival like this leads with authenticity, it sets a standard for everyone else to follow.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Storm warnings for Carolina shrimpers

September 30, 2025 — On the Outer Banks, everybody’s cell phones are buzzing with mandatory evacuation orders, but Hurricane Erin has turned northeast, and not a lot of people are on the move. In Pamlico Sound, it’s business as usual as Gregory Brooks steers his 40-foot shrimp boat, the Rebait, alongside the dock at Newman’s Seafood in Swan Quarter, North Carolina.

He’s got a nice load of mixed shrimp aboard, brown and white, or green tail as they’re called. “Right now, the season’s changing,” Brooks says. “From the brown to the white.” He and his uncle, Tommy Brooks, have been out for less than 24 hours and they’ve landed more than 30 baskets.

“They had 2,200 pounds,” says Michelle Newman, manager of Newman’s Seafood. “That’s not bad for the time they were out.” According to Newman, her family’s packing house has about five or six boats that come in every week. There are about 15 packing houses here in Hyde County,” she says. “Others have more boats. Only the smaller ones can get up in here.”

When a boat comes into Newmans, the crew comes down from the village of Swan Quarter to snap the heads off the shrimp. “It’s money for them to buy school clothes for their kids and things,” says Newman.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

LOUISIANA: Seafood Restaurant Shrimp Testing Exposes Mislabeling: Shrimpers and Diners Both Cheated

September 23, 2025 — The following was released by SeaD Consulting:

In Northeast Louisiana, where shrimp is a staple on local menus, diners are being misled about what’s on their plates.Genetic testing of shrimp dishes from 24 Monroe and Ruston area restaurants found that 0% complied with Louisiana’s seafood labeling laws to identify imported shrimp, despite menus and staff frequently claiming “Gulf” or domestic wild-caught origins.

SEAD Consulting, using its field-based RIGHTTest™ genetic technology, conducted testing from September 11–14, 2025.

Key Findings

  • 11 of 24 dishes (46%) contained authentic domestic wild-caught shrimp

  • 13 of 24 dishes (54%) contained imported, farm-raised shrimp

    • 7 of 13 menus explicitly said “Gulf” or domestic shrimp were being served

    • 5 of 13 had staff explicitly assure customers the dish used Gulf or domestic shrimp

    • 1 of 13 admitted to serving imported shrimp—but had no signage complying with Louisiana’s labeling laws

    • 0 of 13 had required signage indicating imported product

That equates to a 0% compliance rate with Louisiana’s imported seafood labeling laws.

“This isn’t about forcing restaurants to change their menus—it’s about them standing by their word,” said Lance Nacio, Louisiana shrimper and Louisiana Shrimp Task Force board member. “Diners deserve to get what they pay for, and shrimpers deserve their fair market share. Right now, both are being cheated.”

Restaurants Where Authentic Domestic Wild-Caught Shrimp Was Found

  1. Belle’s Ole South Diner — 4624 Cypress St, West Monroe, LA 71291

  2. Captain Avery Seafood & Specialty Meats — 2607 Ferrand St, Monroe, LA 71201

  3. Catfish Charlies — 2329 Louisville Ave, Monroe, LA 71201

  4. Fontenot’s Cajun Way — 436 Desiard St, Monroe, LA 71201

  5. Golden Pier Seafood — 1114 N 7th St, West Monroe, LA 71291

  6. Kravin’s — 705 Winnsboro Rd, Monroe, LA 71202

  7. Mohawk Tavern — 704 Louisville Ave, Monroe, LA 71201

  8. Ponchatoulas — 109 E Park Ave, Ruston, LA 71270

  9. Scott’s Catfish and Seafood — 2812 Cypress St, West Monroe, LA 71291

  10. Trio’s Ruston — 101 Pelican Blvd, Ruston, LA 71270

  11. Warehouse No. 1 — 1 Olive St, Monroe, LA 71201

“We work hard to serve the finest, all-natural ingredients to our customers,” said Trio’s Ruston Restaurant Owner Alex Van Benthuysen. “That includes locally harvested, wild-caught Gulf shrimp. You can definitively taste the difference between wild-caught and imported shrimp. We also want to support our community, just as they support us. That said, we’re only as good as our suppliers are, so there is a lot of trust in the equation.”

While misrepresentation can happen anywhere along the supply chain, genetic testing of what ends up in the dish is essential to enforcing Louisiana’s labeling laws and restoring trust.

What Locals Can Do

  • Ask your server directly where the shrimp comes from at restaurants

  • Ask to see the box or packaging the shrimp came in if in doubt

  • Look for “wild-caught Gulf shrimp” on menus

  • Report suspected seafood fraud to local health authorities

About the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force

The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force advises the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and related agencies on protecting and promoting the state’s wild shrimp industry. The group works to strengthen transparency, local economies, and seafood quality for consumers.

About SEAD Consulting

SEAD (Seafood Development) Consulting blends science and policy to defend seafood authenticity. Its RIGHTTest™ program is revolutionizing how consumers, restaurants, and regulators verify species in real time to combat fraud and protect coastal livelihoods.

Visit www.seadconsulting.com to learn more or report suspected mislabeling.

Disclaimer: SEAD’s testing and reporting is intended to be used as an investigatory tool to assist the restaurant industry’s fight against seafood mislabeling. It is not intended for use in any legal proceedings, nor may SEAD’s data, testing, or reporting be used in any legal proceeding without the express written authorization of SEAD.

New England shrimp fishery likely to see continued moratorium

September 17, 2025 — The shrimp fishery off the coast of the northeast U.S. region of New England is likely to face continued shutdowns as the stock continues to struggle.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) first voted to close the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine in 2013 after the harvest that winter was the smallest since 1978. Despite the closures, the stock has not shown signs of recovery, and the fishery was closed for three more years in 2018, kept closed three years later, and in December 2024, the moratorium was extended further.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Steep decline in landings show imports’ impact, US shrimpers say

September 16, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries landings data for 2024 show sharp declines in U.S. Gulf and South Atlantic catches. That trend is likely an indicator of the impact competition from inexpensive imported shrimp is having on the U.S. domestic market, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

The U.S. landings “confirm the incredible damage caused to the U.S. shrimp industry by the massive influx of cheap, farmed shrimp imported into this country over the last four years,” the alliance said in its analysis issued Sept. 15.

NOAA’s figures show 158.9 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf and South Atlantic last year with a total value of $257.9 million. “This is by far the lowest amount of shrimp harvested in these regions since 1961,” according to the alliance.

The industry group’s paper includes graphics generated from annual landings totals.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

New England’s shrimp industry is struggling, with fishermen catching few in 2025

September 15, 2025 — There’s an effort underway to bring New England shrimp back to seafood customers — but fishermen have found few of the crustaceans, and the fishing industry that harvests them may face an even longer shutdown.

Fishermen have been under a moratorium on catching shrimp for more than a decade because of low population levels that scientists have attributed to climate change and warming oceans. The harvesters were allowed to catch a small number of shrimp this past winter as part of an industry-funded sampling and data collection program.

Read the full article at News Center Maine

Rep. Nancy Mace pushes amendment to ensure military buys only American-caught seafood

September 10, 2025 — Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace is wading into “Shrimpgate” waters.

On Tuesday, the three-term member of Congress introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would require the Department of Defense to purchase only American-caught seafood.

“For too long, foreign competitors have undercut American workers, threatened our economy, and exploited loopholes in federal law,” Mace said. “If the Pentagon is buying seafood, it will come from American waters, caught by American hands, not from our adversaries.”

Read the full article at ABC 4