Fifty-eight percent of sampled shrimp dishes (14 of 24) in Shreveport, Louisiana falsely advertise or imply that they serve Gulf wild-caught shrimp while serving farm-raised imported shrimp, according to new genetic testing findings by SEAD Consulting commissioned by the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force. Further, SEAD Consulting found 25% of the imported shrimp dishes were explicitly labeled “Gulf Shrimp” on the menu (6 of 24). Read SEAD Consulting’s release.
“Most consumers mistakenly believe they are eating U.S. wild-caught shrimp, despite 94% of the market being imported. When given the choice, consumers pick our local shrimp,” explains John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Restaurants know this, so you see “fresh catch” and shrimping vessels on menus, chalkboards, and walls. Even with state labeling laws and federal advertising regulations—consumers are being misled and it is stealing from multigenerational shrimpers, undercutting honest restaurants, and fleecing consumers. Enforcement action is needed.”
In a recent Presidential Proclamation regarding National Consumer Protection Week 2025 (Proclamation No. 10901 of March 6, 2025), President Trump observed that “Consumers deserve honest and accurate information to make decisions.” The U.S. shrimp industry concurs.
Here are the top five reasons consumers should care about the shrimp they purchase:
- High Quality: U.S. shrimp is a premium product sought for the flavors that result from eating a varied, natural diet in local waters. In blind taste tests, U.S. shrimp is preferred for its flavor and texture to farmed shrimp fed man-made feed and confined to farms.
- Supports Local Economies: Buy local. Support Small businesses. Shrimpers are the backbone of local economies and many consumers want to support local communities.
- Sustainable: U.S. shrimpers are well-regulated and sustainable. The industry engages in research with government and non-profit groups to reduce their impact on the environments that sustain their livelihood, resulting in world-record low bycatch levels. On the contrary, farmed shrimp have been associated with mangrove destruction, water table contamination, and other environmental harms.
- Ethically Produced: In 2024 investigations, human rights groups called out the countries providing the majority of farmed shrimp imports to the United States for work abuses, forced labor, and even child labor—especially shrimp from India (42.3% of all imports), which the Department of Labor added to its 2024 List of Goods Produced with Child Labor or Forced Labor.
- Healthful: While all shrimp are a great source of protein and nutrients, shrimp from India and Vietnam have been known to have an extra ingredient—banned antibiotics. Aquaculture systems and farms have been designated as ‘genetic reactors’ or ‘hotspots for antimicrobial genes’where significant genetic exchange and recombination can occur, which leads to drug resistance.
Find test results for other markets: https://shrimpalliance.com/issues/industry-enhancement-efforts/seafood-labeling-laws/
Find the sampled tested restaurants that serve U.S. wild-caught shrimp: https://shrimpalliance.com/issues/industry-enhancement-efforts/find-u-s-wild-caught-shrimp/