A month after seafood fraud researchers reported that 90 percent of Charleston, S.C. restaurants serve imported shrimp, some restaurant operators are moving to make peace with fishermen who filed a federal lawsuit alleging false advertising.
At least two prominent restaurants in the Charleston area have entered agreements with the South Carolina Shrimpers Association, to get themselves dropped as defendants in a federal lawsuit alleging false advertising and unfair trade practices.
A months-long investigation of U.S. restaurants fraudulently presenting imported shrimp as U.S-caught swung into South Carolina this spring. The results from consultants shocked the local industry and local consumers with findings that 90 percent of Charleston restaurants tested were found to be serving imported shrimp, often under the pretense that it was local and wild-caught.
Commissioned by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, SeaD Consulting has tested samples from restaurant shrimp dishes across eight states – including Southeast and Gulf coastal regions, where shrimp is an essential part of tourism, traditional foodways and local identity.
In South Carolina, results from SeaD’s patented RIGHTTest (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test) landed like a bomb in the Charleston dining scene and regional news media.
“Only four out of 44 restaurants were found to be serving genuine domestic wild-caught shrimp,” according to SeaD’s press release in early June. The remaining 40 were misrepresenting imported products through menu descriptions, branding, or proximity to local docks, and “25 were found to be outright fraudulent.”
“This is not only deceptive but also insulting to the hardworking shrimpers whose livelihoods are being undermined,” said Erin Williams, founder and COO of SeaD Consulting. “It’s decimating the entire regional economy and culture they’ve worked for generations to build and promote.”
“Charleston's culinary identity is built on the legacy of local fishermen and the unmatched quality of wild-caught shrimp,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Consumers — especially tourists — believe they’re eating authentic Lowcountry seafood, when in reality they’re being sold a globalized substitute likely raised in ponds treated with antibiotics, often using slave labor, with none of the tradition or taste.”
The South Carolina Shrimpers Association followed up within days by filing a lawsuit in federal court alleging 25 area restaurants of violating federal laws on false advertising and unfair trade practices. The association contends misrepresenting imported shrimp – typically much less expensive for restaurants than U.S. wild caught product – diverts sales from the South Carolina fleet and hurt the local industry.
“Any restaurant can sell whatever they want, but they have to be honest about it,” the association’s lawyer Gedney M. Howe III told television station WCBD News 2 in a July 2 interview. “We don’t have a problem necessarily with people selling imported shrimp. We do have a problem with them selling imported shrimp that they say are local. That is an issue.”
Within days some restaurants pledged to support the shrimpers’ drive for truth in menu labelling. One of the first to step forward was Mount Pleasant Seafood, a fourth-generation family business and dock on Shem Creek.
“We appreciate Mt. Pleasant Seafood’s transparency, responsiveness and constructive conversations we’ve had throughout this process,” the South Carolina Shrimpers Association said in a statement issued July 10 through its lawyer Howe.
“They have been longtime allies of the local shrimping industry, and their willingness to engage in open dialogue and take proactive steps should be applauded. We are grateful for their support and look forward to continuing to work side-by-side to preserve and promote the South Carolina shrimping industry.”
