Saving Seafood

US legislation would require FDA approval of foreign shrimp production facilities

May 5, 2025 — Newly introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure foreign shrimp production matches American safety standards.

“Growing up on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, I know how important the shrimp industry is – not just to our economy but to our way of life,” U.S. Representative Mike Ezell (R-Mississippi) said in a statement. “Our local Gulf Coast shrimpers are playing by the rules while foreign producers are flooding the market with unsafe, low-quality products. This bill is about leveling the playing field, protecting our American producers, and keeping America healthy.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA buys over USD 100 million in domestic pollock, catfish, shrimp

March 8, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded nearly USD 47.5 million (EUR 43.8 million) worth of Alaska pollock contracts to seafood processors Trident Seafoods and Channel Fish Processing.

Additionally, the agency has awarded USD 29.3 million (EUR 27 million) in domestic catfish contracts destined for federal nutrition programs and USD 24.7 million (EUR 22.8 million) to several Louisiana-based seafood processors to supply U.S. shrimp.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Something’s fishy: Florida State research cracks the case on shrimp swap scandal

February 21, 2025 — When it comes to seafood, people want the real deal – not some fishy bait-and-switch.

But in the billion-dollar shrimp industry, it turns out diners might not be getting what they paid for: Eateries offering imported shrimp disguised as locally caught delicacies.

David Williams, founder of Houston-based food safety tech company SeaD Consulting, has spent years diving into the murky waters of seafood sourcing. His team’s research kept surfacing the same troubling question:

Do consumers really know where their shrimp come from?

“Why would you want to be lied to?” Williams said. After all, no one orders a plate of shrimp expecting a side of deception.

Here’s why it matters: The seafood industry is swimming with imported shrimp, often from farms abroad that may use antibiotics and questionable practices banned here in the states. But restaurants aren’t always upfront about what they’re serving (sometimes even they don’t know), leaving diners in the dark about what’s really on their plates. And it takes business away from U.S. shrimpers.

So in 2022, Williams took his concerns to Florida State University assistant professor Prashant Singh, hoping to crack the case of the sneaky shrimp swap.

Read the full article at The Florida Times-Union

GEORGIA: Georgia lawmakers approve bill requiring restaurants to label imported shrimp

February 21, 2025 — State lawmakers from the U.S. state of Georgia have passed a bill that would require restaurants to clearly note on their menus if the shrimp they are serving is imported.

“It is time we support our domestic shrimpers and ensure that consumers know what they are eating,” Representative Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) said upon introducing the legislation in January. “Only 5 percent of imported foods are inspected, and shrimp from Thailand, China, India, and Ecuador primarily are often pond-raised in unsanitary environments. I believe this measure will give consumers the knowledge they need to request domestic and, hopefully, Georgia wild shrimp.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Southern Shrimp Alliance echoes US congressman’s calls for tariffs on foreign seafood

February 13, 2025 — U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) recently sent a letter to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that offered simple advice on Trump’s tariff policies: To save American seafood, tax imports from China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

Higgins shared the letter he sent to the president on social media platform X with the caption, “Protecting the American seafood industry requires aggressive action.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MAINE: Maine fishermen chosen for experimental shrimp season

January 23, 2025 — For the first time in over a decade, Maine fishermen will return to the water in pursuit of northern shrimp, marking a cautious revival of a long-cherished winter fishery.

The experimental shrimp season, scheduled to begin in February, is part of a research initiative by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) in collaboration with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). This limited program aims to gather crucial data on the shrimp population and assess the species’ recovery after years of decline caused by warming waters in the Gulf of Maine.

Seven fishermen were selected from more than 40 applicants to participate in the program. Four will fish using trawls—Justin Libby of Port Clyde, Dana Hammond II and David Osier of South Bristol, and Robert Tetrault II of Portland—while three, Adam Gamage and Andrew House of South Bristol and William McLain of Pemaquid, will use traps. According to DMR, each fisherman has been assigned to one of three fishing zones: Kittery to Phippsburg, Phippsburg to Owls Head, or east of Owls Head.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

For the first time in a decade, northern shrimp fishery will open for limited harvest

December 19, 2024 — The New England shrimp fishery will open for a limited harvest this winter, for the first time in a decade.

Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts fishermen will be allowed to harvest 58,400 pounds of shrimp. The allowable catch is well below the 10 million pounds that fishermen were harvesting nearly 15 years ago.

But the Atlantic Marine States Fisheries Commission said an industry-funded sampling pilot could provide valuable research about the fishery in a warming Gulf of Maine.

Read the full article at Maine Public

Shrimp tops the U.S. National Fisheries Institute’s top 10 list of most consumed species

November 14, 2024 — The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) has released its annual top 10 list of most consumed species for 2022, showing that Americans ate 19.7 pounds of seafood per capita, down 0.8 pounds from 2021 when consumption reached record highs during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“The 2022 list reflects the correction that took place following the 2021 supply surge which saw a 9 percent increase in available seafood,” NFI Programs Director Richard Barry said. “Since the previous year experienced record high supply growth, a slight dip the following year was expected. The 2022 per capita number, however, remains higher than pre-pandemic consumption, an encouraging sign of retained seafood consumers.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource