South Carolina restaurants must now tell customers whether the shrimp they serve is local or imported under a new state law aimed at bringing more transparency to seafood menus and giving domestic shrimpers a better chance to compete.

The state’s “Truth in Shrimp Labeling Act” took effect 120 days after Gov. Henry McMaster signed it into law, according to ABC News 4. Restaurants across South Carolina must now disclose the origin of shrimp on their menus or signage.

The requirement follows increased scrutiny of shrimp labeling in the Lowcountry earlier this year, when about 40 restaurants faced questions over claims that shrimp advertised as local was actually imported.

For South Carolina shrimpers, the new law could help distinguish locally harvested shrimp from lower-priced imports that have challenged the domestic industry for years.

Rocky Magwood, a longtime commercial shrimper in McClellanville, told ABC that his family has been involved in the shrimp business for about 110 years. He has been moving shrimp in the community for nearly 50 years.

“You come to Charleston, you should get what you think you're eating,” Magwood said.

Magwood said imported shrimp has long made it difficult for local fishermen to compete, but he sees an opportunity for the new labeling requirement to give consumers a clearer choice.

“I think the Shrumpers are gonna get a little bit more ground back from the imports,” he said.

For restaurants, complying with the law means clearly identifying where the shrimp they serve comes from. Magwood said the requirement should be simple.

“Put it on your menu and tell me if somebody wants to eat shrimp from Indonesia or they wanna eat it from Charleston, South Carolina,” he said.

Some restaurants were already highlighting their use of local shrimp before the law took effect. Arts Bar & Grill in Mount Pleasant uses a sticker to identify its shrimp as locally sourced, general manager Jessica Brighenty told ABC.

Brighenty said buying local shrimp also supports the fishing communities that have long been part of South Carolina’s coastal economy.

For Magwood, the law is ultimately about giving domestic fishermen an opportunity to compete and allowing consumers to know what they are purchasing.

“We should be using what we have,” he said. “And if we don't have it, then import it. But at least give us a chance as fishermen.”