SeaD Consulting’s latest round of genetic shrimp testing shows that while some coastal markets are making progress in seafood transparency, misrepresentation of imported shrimp remains a persistent problem across the Gulf and Southeast.
On behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), SeaD conducted follow-up testing this spring in Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Biloxi, Mississippi, and Savannah, Georgia using the RIGHTTeast rapid genetic identification technology.
The results varied widely by market.
In Baton Rouge, SeaD tested shrimp dishes from 44 restaurants between April 16 and 19. The investigation found that 14 of 44 dishes, or 32 percent, contained imported or farm-raised shrimp. Five restaurants properly disclosed imported shrimp, while nine establishments, roughly one in five, were found to be explicitly misrepresenting their products.
According to SeaD, several restaurants displayed disclosure signage but staff still verbally identified imported shrimp as American wild-caught when questioned by investigators. Others had no disclosure signage at all despite state requirements.
"Despite signage requirements, we continue to see outright misrepresentation and non-compliance," said SeaD founder and commercial fishery scientist David Williams. "In several cases, staff verbally assured investigators that shrimp were American wild-caught when genetic testing confirmed otherwise."
Mississippi’s Gulf Coast showed more encouraging results.
SeaD's latest testing found that 64 percent of sampled restaurants were serving American wild-caught shrimp, a significant improvement from the company's 2024 investigation, which found 82 percent of restaurants tested were misleading customers.
14 of 22 restaurants tested this spring were serving authentic domestic shrimp, while five establishments had corrected previous mislabeling practices identified during earlier testing.
Still, the issue has not disappeared. Eight restaurants were found serving imported or farm-raised shrimp, and five of those establishments were accused of misleading customers by suggesting the product was local or wild-caught.
SeaD also reported continued concerns surrounding premium shrimp products, particularly Royal Reds. The company's earlier investigation found that 92 percent of Royal Red dishes tested were mislabeled, and follow-up testing found substitution of imported alternatives remains an issue.
"What we're seeing is unfair competition that's strangling our industry," said Alabama shrimper Leann Bosarge of Bosarge Boats. "If laws and regulations were actually enforced to level the playing field, American shrimpers would win every time."
Further east, Savannah's results remained troubling.
More than a year after SeaD reported that 77 percent of sampled restaurants were serving imported shrimp while portraying it as American wild-caught, the company's latest testing found only modest improvement.
Nine of 22 shrimp dishes sampled, or 41 percent, contained American wild-caught shrimp. The remaining 13 dishes tested as imported or farm-raised shrimp, and 12 of those were allegedly misrepresented through menu claims or verbal assurances.
The findings come as Georgia begins implementing new shrimp labeling requirements intended to improve transparency for consumers.
"This retest confirms exactly why Georgia needed stronger transparency laws," said Georgia State Representative Jesse Petrea. "Consumers deserve honest information about the seafood they are consuming, and Georgia shrimpers deserve a fair marketplace."
SeaD founder and COO Erin Williams said pricing data from the Savannah testing highlighted another concern. The most expensive shrimp dish sampled, priced at $38, tested as imported shrimp despite being misrepresented to customers.
Industry advocates say the latest findings demonstrate both the value of continued testing and the need for stronger enforcement of seafood labeling laws.
In Louisiana, lawmakers are considering additional measures aimed at seafood transparency, including legislation targeting the co-mingling of imported and domestic shrimp and proposals that would strengthen seafood recordkeeping and enforcement authority.
While results differed from market to market, SeaD officials said the overall message remains the same: consumers deserve to know where their seafood comes from, and honest labeling remains critical for protecting domestic shrimpers and the communities that depend on them.
