Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Shrimp trawling argument highlights conflict between recreational, commercial fishing on NC coast

August 12, 2025 — The tourists come from Pennsylvania and Maryland, from South Dakota and Texas, from just about everywhere, to North Carolina’s Outer Banks for a week of sun, water and relaxation.

And when they need something to do, Marc Mtchum is there to give them a glimpse of “the real Outer Banks.” Mitchum, 62 and the owner of OBX Crabbing, runs three shrimping charters each weekday from mid-June into October on the Jodie Kae to supplement his commercial crabbing business.

“That’s why people come on my trip,” he said. “They want to get real fresh seafood, [to] take back to their cottage and eat, or [if] they’re fortunate enough, take some home to eat.”

Mitchum continued: “My group here was from Wisconsin and they don’t get good seafood in Wisconsin, so they come here, they go on my boat, and they’ve got plenty to eat. We take people from all over the United States to come here to experience how a commercial fisherman makes a living and then take home that seafood.”

Mitchum, originally from Chatham County, moved to the Outer Banks in 1984 for a career in fishing. The sound provided for his family. He and his wife, a Dare County educator, sent their four children to college.

“It’s been a good life,” Mitchum said. “My concern is not so much for me, it’s for these younger guys that are trying to fish. I’m glad my sons don’t want to fish because I think it’s going to be harder and harder – mainly because of government regulation, not because of a lack of a resource. The sound is so plentiful of fish, shrimp and crabs.”

The state, however, canceled the annual flounder season in 2024 due to concerns about over-fishing. This year’s season lasts just two weeks with a maximum of one fish of at least 15 inches.

Read the full article at WRAL News

NORTH CAROLINA: On the Outer Banks, a shrimp ban would rewrite menus — and livelihoods

August 8, 2025 — In a kitchen that runs on the tide, Vicki Basnight’s crew was cleaning 300 pounds of shrimp ahead of the dinner rush. Basnight, who calls herself the “jack of all trades” of the restaurant, has spent three decades serving North Carolina seafood at Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café and, each fall working the water herself.

“I also do commercial fishing during shrimping season,” she said. “We are a rare breed that still commercial fish as women. To me, it’s in my blood.”

As lawmakers in Raleigh debate whether to restrict shrimp trawling in inshore waters, Basnight says the fight is personal. The shrimp she buys is harvested in the same sounds she grew up on.

“I love it. I love every bit of being on the water. It’s not like work to me,” she said. “It’s always been in the Roanoke Sound and that’s just been a passion of mine. It’s heritage. Really, everything I learned, I learned from my granddad.”

That heritage, and the local supply chain it supports, was thrust into uncertainty this summer when a last-minute amendment in the General Assembly sought to ban shrimp trawling in North Carolina’s sounds and within a half-mile of the coast. The measure, which supporters said would protect fish habitat, passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Senate leader Phil Berger has said the push is not over.

Read the full article at WRAL

Shrimpers need honesty in their back yard to survive

August 7, 2025 — In a city of beaches and shrimp boats, with pelicans and seagulls peppering the sky, a new investigation by SeaD Consulting has revealed widespread misrepresentation of shrimp sourcing at sampled Corpus Christi restaurants. Genetic testing, conducted with SeaD Consulting’s Rapid ID Genetic Hi-accuracy Test (RIGHTTest™), of shrimp dishes served in 44 Corpus Christi-area restaurants showed that only 19 restaurants were confirmed to be serving genuine wild-caught domestic/Gulf shrimp, while 25 were not serving wild-caught domestic/Gulf shrimp despite menu claims, staff assurances, or marketing.

“With shrimp boats docked alongside coastal restaurants surrounding Corpus Christi, there is no excuse for more than half of sampled restaurants to be duping their diners,” said Erin Williams, Founder and COO of SeaD Consulting. “Consumers should be able to trust that when they order Gulf shrimp, that’s exactly what’s on their plate.”

Restaurants Verified for Serving Gulf Shrimp

The following 19 restaurants were confirmed to be serving authentic Gulf shrimp:

  • U & I Seafood & Steaks – 309 S Water St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
  • Executive Surf Club – 306 N Chaparral St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
  • Water Street Oyster Bar – 309 N Water St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
  • Paradise Key Dockside Bar & Grill – 165 Cove Harbor N, Rockport, TX 78382
  • Los Comales – 431 Hwy 35 S Rockport, TX 78382
  • Pier 77 – 3307 Hwy 35 N Fulton, TX 78358
  • Shrimp-It-Up – 120 S 8th St, Aransas Pass, TX 78336
  • Texas A1 – 14241 Northwest Blvd Ste 105, Corpus Christi, TX 78410
  • Gallery 41 – 100 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
  • Black Diamond Oyster Bar – 418 NAS Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
  • Snoopy’s Pier & Restaurant – 13313 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
  • Doc’s Seafood & Steaks – 13309 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
  • Angry Marlin – 15605 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
  • Trout Street Bar + Grill – 104 W Cotter Ave, Port Aransas, TX 78373
  • Old Fulton Seafood Café & Steakhouse – 2828 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382
  • Charlotte Plummer’s Seafare Restaurant – 202 N Fulton Beach Rd, Rockport, TX 78382
  • Mickey’s Bar & Grill – 430 Ransom Rd, Aransas Pass, TX 78336
  • Catfish Charlie’s – 5830 McArdle Rd #12, Corpus Christi, TX 78412
  • Saltwater Grill – 2401 Cimarron Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78414

Misrepresentation Findings

Of the 25 restaurants not serving Gulf shrimp:

  • 21 explicitly described their shrimp as local or domestic either verbally or on the menu.
  • 4 implied Gulf or wild-caught sourcing through branding or menu descriptions.

SeaD Consulting’s testing revealed blatant examples of explicit inauthenticity, where menus and staff descriptions confidently claimed Gulf shrimp that turned out to be imported or farm-raised shrimp.

Shrimp boat owner in Palacios, Texas and Southern Shrimp Alliance Board Member Ken Garcia said, “We don’t want these restaurants to stop saying they are selling Gulf shrimp, we want them to actually start serving it.”

Impact and Next Steps

Imported shrimp—often produced under unregulated environmental and labor conditions—undercuts the local shrimp industry, erodes consumer trust, and misleads customers who pay premium prices expecting fresh, local seafood.

In May 2025, Texas passed legislation requiring all food service suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, and wholesale distributors selling shrimp in Texas to include a label to the restaurant with “clear and conspicuous notice stating whether the shrimp is imported.” Further, the law prohibits restaurants from labeling or representing imported shrimp as “Texas shrimp,” “Gulf shrimp,” “American shrimp,” or “Domestic shrimp.” However, consumers must still ask about the country of origin of the shrimp if it is not indicated as local wild-caught. If there is any violation of these requirements, the legislation authorizes the Texas Health Department, a public health district, a county, or a municipality to impose an administrative penalty. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

Follow-up genetic testing is also planned to track progress and encourage honesty in seafood sourcing.

About the Southern Shrimp Alliance

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) represents shrimp fishermen, processors, and businesses in the eight warmwater shrimp-producing states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. SSA funds multi-state investigations into seafood mislabeling to protect the domestic shrimp industry and consumers.

About SeaD Consulting

SeaD Consulting collaborates with seafood producers, researchers, governments, and environmental advocates to promote sustainability and truth in seafood sourcing. SeaD holds the patent for the RIGHTTest™ (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test) and leads landmark studies across the Gulf and beyond.

For more on the investigation, photos, B-roll, SME interviews, and access to the full report, visit Media Kit or contact Glenda Beasley at 512.750.5199.

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 and 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.

 

NORTH CAROLINA: Group forms to represent commercial shrimpers’ interests

July 29, 2025 — More than half of North Carolina’s 20 coastal counties will be represented at the launch of what commercial shrimping advocates envision as an organization poised to fight for the industry in Raleigh.

The inception of the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition is set to kick off in an Aug. 5 meeting in Morehead City, where coastal-based local and state elected officials and their constituents are invited to converge, discuss and formulate a plan to combat what they deem politically charged threats to commercial fishers.

“Bottom line, simple mission statement: We want to provide fresh, local seafood for our citizens and visitors and protect the livelihoods and families that harvest it,” said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chair Bob Woodard. “We’re going to do everything humanly possible to protect our commercial fishermen.”

The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Crystal Coast Civic Center’s main hall, 203 College Circle.

The idea to form a coastwide coalition to defend and protect the state’s commercial fishing fleet sprouted fresh on the heels of a fierce fight that ensued in the North Carolina Legislative Building in late June.

That’s when a last-minute amendment to ban shrimp trawling in inland and nearshore coastal waters was tucked into a House bill originally authored to expand recreational access to southern flounder and red snapper. A companion bill, House Bill 441, was gutted and revised to establish a program that would pay out annual installments over three years to qualifying shrimpers.

Read the full article at Island Free Press

NORTH CAROLINA: A ban nearly crushed NC shrimpers. Why they embrace the life they fight to keep.

July 23, 2025 — All was still on the New River near the Davis Seafood fish house. But when 83-year-old William “Buddy” Davis walked out of his home and pulled on tall rubber boots, it signaled the work was about to begin.

Not far from tourist-filled beaches of Topsail Island, the Davis family began preparing for the homecoming of the 58-foot Capt. Davis and more than 10,000 pounds of shrimp it harvested from the South and Neuse rivers.

Jody Davis, co-owner of the Sneads Ferry fish house, hosed down the concrete floor and filled a metal vat with water. Using a skid-steer loader, he scooped buckets of ice into large bins.

Soon Capt. Billy Davis, one of Jody’s older brothers, was docking his boat between two others with the help of his crew — both kin.

Then the unloading began. Tons of brown shrimp were washed, counted, weighed and packed with ice into boxes ready to be sold or shipped. Everyone, including Jody’s father-in-law, who’s allergic to shrimp, pitched in.

As the packing continued, Billy Davis stepped ashore to get a closer look.

“I love shrimping,” he said. “It gives me that competitive thing that I need, where sports used to give it to me. Now I try to catch as many shrimp as I can.”

In a surprise move last month, state legislators almost banned shrimpers from trawling state waters including the Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.

Members of the Davis family were among those who rushed to Raleigh to help defeat the ban. For now, they are back shrimping.

“It’s just not what it used to be, but it’s really the only thing we know,” Jody Davis said. “So we’re going to do it as long as we can.”

But how long he can continue is not clear. Families like his are fighting to preserve a job — and a way of life — that has supported them and their ancestors for generations.

Some challenges have been around for years. Recreational fishing advocates and conservationists accuse shrimpers of killing fish and damaging coastal habitats. Required to protect fisheries, state regulators limit where, when and how they can trawl.

Often cheaper shrimp imported from Ecuador, Indonesia and Vietnam have flooded the U.S. market, making it harder for North Carolina shrimpers to sell their catches for a decent price.

In a surprise move last month, state legislators almost banned shrimpers from trawling state waters including the Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.

Members of the Davis family were among those who rushed to Raleigh to help defeat the ban. For now, they are back shrimping.

“It’s just not what it used to be, but it’s really the only thing we know,” Jody Davis said. “So we’re going to do it as long as we can.”

Read the full article at the News & Observer

NORTH CAROLINA: NC shrimp trawling ban bill saga ends

July 11, 2025 — House Bill 442, introduced in April, aimed to extend the recreational flounder fishing season to six weeks and establish a year-round red snapper season with catch limits.

The bill passed the House in May with bipartisan support and was sent to the Senate. After that, the bill’s focus shifted dramatically when the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment met June 17.

During that meeting, Sen. David Craven (R-Randolph) proposed a committee substitute with a ban on shrimp trawling in all inshore waters, including sounds, estuaries, rivers and within a half mile of the Atlantic shoreline. The change, which would go into effect Dec.1, proposed making it a Class A1 misdemeanor for violating the bill’s ban.

Environmental groups like the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission supported the change, citing rates of bycatch of juvenile fish and various marine habitat damage.

The shrimp industry, including the North Carolina Fisheries Association and Southern Shrimp Alliance, opposed the ban. They argued that 70-80% of shrimp come from inshore waters, and many small boats can’t operate offshore. Also cited were existing regulations addressing environmental concerns, like weekend trawling bans and nursery areas closed since 1978.

The Senate’s changes were added without prior notice to House sponsors or the shrimp industry. The Senate passed the amended bill June 19 with a 39-4 vote.

Coastal area Sens. Tom Lazzara (R-Onslow) and Norman Sanderson (R-Pamlico) voted against it in committee. Lazzara and Sen. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck), who also opposed the change, were not present at the Senate vote sending the measure to the House.

Read the full article at North State Journal

NORTH CAROLINA: Proposed coalition to N.C. coastal counties seeks to protect fishing industry

July 11, 2025 — At the end of June, a bill that would have banned shrimp trawling on the North Carolina coast was killed in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard is now proposing a coastal community coalition.

This proposal comes with future fights on the issue in mind and amplifying the voices of coastal communities under one umbrella.

“We’re trying to save an industry that’s been around since mankind began,” said Woodard.

Read the full article at WTKR

NORTH CAROLINA: Lawmakers shoot down ban on controversial fishing practice after community outcry: ‘Without warning or consultation’

July 7, 2025 –North Carolina lawmakers kept a ban on shrimp trawling from advancing in the General Assembly.

What’s happening?

The House of Representatives on June 25 declined to hear Bill 442, which would have prohibited the practice within a half-mile of the coast, the Island Free Press reported. The legislation had passed the Senate but was derided by shrimpers and the fishing industry.

Commercial anglers said 75% of their shrimp is harvested in the area that would have become off-limits, WUNC noted. In 2023, the state issued 270 licenses to shrimpers, who caught 6.5 million pounds of the crustaceans. The haul was valued at $14.1 million.

Bill 442 would have lengthened the southern flounder and red snapper seasons, but an amendment added the ban, making it untenable for those who make their living in the field.

Read the full story at The Cool Down

NORTH CAROLINA: What they’re saying on scuttled “Shrimpgate” trawling ban proposal

June 30, 2025 — Following the surprise introduction of legislation that would ban shrimp trawling in nearly all of North Carolina’s coastal waters, a host of groups and individuals have weighed in on the “Shrimpgate” proposal running aground.

They have included expressions of relief the ban will not be moving forward in the General Assembly, while one group believed to have pushed the proposal denied the accusations and another left their involvement unclear.

The state Senate passed House Bill 442 on June 20 that would make it a misdemeanor to operate a shrimp trawl in the sounds and up to one-half mile off the Atlantic coastline, which was tacked on to a bill requiring state regulators open flounder and red snapper seasons through a four-year pilot program.

That bill was then sent back to the state House for concurrence, since they passed the legislation before it was amended.

Hundreds of commercial watermen and women, restaurateurs, local political leaders, and others, from Currituck to Calabash and elsewhere across the state, walked the halls of the Legislative Building earlier this week to meet with members of the General Assembly and voice their opposition.

Outside, dozens of tractor trailers and box trucks that would normally be on the road hauling seafood up-and-down the East Coast were cruising the streets of Downtown Raleigh on Tuesday adorned with banners supporting North Carolina’s seafood industry and decrying the ban proposal.

Just steps away from the main entrance to the Legislative Building, an impromptu curbside seafood market with giant insulated boxes filled with thousands of pounds of fresh, brown shrimp on ice that was caught just a few days ago by the same trawlers that would be put out of business by the legislation.

Read the full article at Island Free Press

Southern states lay down the law on seafood labeling

June 30, 2025 — Over the course of the past year, Dave Williams, a commercial fishery scientist and founder of SeaD Consulting, has been testing shrimp in restaurants all around the Gulf states, Georgia, and the Carolinas to find out if they are selling imported farmed shrimp as Gulf shrimp. The results have been astounding, with restaurants tested in Charleston, South Carolina, showing a 90 percent fraud rate.  

Williams’s work, sponsored by the industry group Southern Shrimp Alliance, has prompted the passage of new laws and increased enforcement of existing laws aimed at protecting the U.S. domestic shrimp fleet.  

Alabama’s Seafood Labeling Law was passed in May 2024 and took effect on October 1, 2024. It requires food service establishments including restaurants, grocery store delis and seafood retailers, to list the country of origin of its fish and shellfish, or that the product was imported.

The law also requires labels to state if the seafood was farm raised or wild caught.  Suppliers must provide the seafood’s country of origin to the restaurants and delis. The law is enforced by the state Department of Public Health and consumers who believe there is a violation of the law can file a complaint via an online form.

Read the full article at National Fisherman