If you order a shrimp dish at any restaurant in the United States, you are likely to be served “whiteleg shrimp,” also known as “Pacific white shrimp” (Litopenaeus vannamei). Vannamei dominates global shrimp farming, with the species grown in ponds throughout Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
One of the consequences of the prevalence of vannamei has been the ability to conceal the origin of shrimp farmed in countries that do not meaningfully limit the use of dangerous veterinary drugs or are subject to significant additional customs duties. As a result, the U.S. shrimp industry has long confronted widespread trade fraud, with the Southern Shrimp Alliance raising alarm regarding transshipment of Chinese shrimp through other nations, such as Malaysia, for the past two decades.
Scientific Efforts to Trace Seafood Origins
Federal government agency efforts to address shrimp trade fraud led scientists at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop a methodology for testing for trace metals in imported shrimp to determine an accurate geographic location for the origin of the product. The results of this work were published in a 2009 paper in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Since then, academics outside of the federal government have conducted additional research on how to identify the county-of-origin of vannamei shrimp, including a paper – “Shrimp (sub-)national Traceability and Retail Fraud Detection Using Stable Isotopes and Multi-Element Profiling” – scheduled for publication in the journal Food Control in September 2026. Although the authors of the paper recognized complications tied to shrimp processing, they claim to have demonstrated “a powerful, data-driven approach to authenticating the origin of shrimp and tracing their production sources across national and subnational scales.” One of the leading researchers in the field and an author of the Food Control paper, Dr. Bobby Davis at Young Harris College in Georgia, provided an overview of this work in a seminar at Clemson University earlier this year, summarizing some of the challenges presented in the practical application of trace element identification of shrimp.
Legislation to Fight Seafood Fraud
On Friday, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC), joined by Representatives Randy Weber (R-TX), Troy Carter (D-LA), and Mike Ezell (R-MS), introduced H.R. 9154, the “ShrimpHonesty and Responsibility in Import Monitoring Protocols (SHRIMP) Act of 2026.” The legislation directs federal agencies “to develop a portable, chemical testing methodology to identify the country of origin of shrimp.” As Congresswoman Mace’s press releaseexplains, the development of such a methodology would support law enforcement in combating illegal unreported, and unregulated fishing; improve food safety and traceability; verify compliance with country-of-origin labeling laws; improve screening of shrimp at ports of entry; and, bolster enforcement of trade restrictions and customs duties.
The SHRIMP Act of 2026 follows similar legislative initiatives intended to facilitate country-of-origin identification for other seafood products, particularly red snapper and tuna. For example, the “Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act,” S. 283, introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Katie Britt (R-AL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), directs federal agencies “to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country of origin of seafood” with an initial focus on red snapper “as an example of a stationary stock” and tuna “as an example of a highly migratory stock.” This legislation was passed by the Senate in July of last year. In the House, the “Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification Act” or the “SUSHI Act,” H.R. 3706, introduced by Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) with Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-VA) and Delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), works to achieve the same result as S. 283 and was reported favorably out of the House Committee on Natural Resources in February.
Legislation advancing country-of-origin testing for red snapper has long been supported by the Southern Shrimp Alliance because, if successful, it would create a powerful tool to confirm that illegally harvested red snapper from Mexican lanchas are being sold in the U.S. market. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by Mexican lanchas undermines the catch restrictions for red snapper imposed on American fishermen. Moreover, the health of the red snapper stock has been used to justify restrictions on the overall effort of the Gulf commercial shrimp industry as a means of limiting bycatch. Consequently, depletion of the red snapper stock in U.S. waters has not only stolen these fish away from American fishermen but also placed greater pressure on commercial fisheries targeting other species to limit their activities.
Enhancing Seafood Transparency
Congresswoman Mace’s SHRIMP Act of 2026 helps to connect decades of research on country-of-origin testing of shrimp with need for similar capabilities for other seafood products. If practically achieved, standard methodologies to identify the origin of shrimpand fish would undermine fraudulent schemes that currently are rampant in global seafood trade.
“International seafood supply chains are intentionally opaque, many times masking illegal activity. We see this directly in the foreign shrimp supply chains that compete with American family businesses,” said Blake Price, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Congresswoman Mace’s SHRIMP Act of 2026 recognizes the importance of the ability to objectively identify where shrimp comes from. The U.S. shrimp industry applauds Representatives Mace, Weber, Carter, and Ezell for introducing this important legislation that addresses a decades-long need in our country’s shrimp market.”
Review the text of the H.R. 9154, the “Shrimp Honesty and Responsibility in Import Monitoring Protocols Act of 2026,” here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SHRIMP_20Act_20MACE_165_xml.pdf