The two houses of the South Carolina legislature have passed a bill requiring shrimp sold in the state to be labeled either “foreign” or “domestic;” it has been sent to the governor to be signed into law.
“South Carolina is taking steps to confront seafood fraud head-on instead of looking away. This law demonstrates that passing off imported farm-raised shrimp as American-caught will not be tolerated,” Southern Shrimp Alliance Executive Director Blake Price said in a release. “Consumers want the fresh taste and crisp bite unique to the shrimp species that live off the U.S. coast. This law gives South Carolina’s commercial shrimping fleet – multigenerational, working-waterfront businesses that depend on customers’ trust in what’s on the menu – a foothold to build on.”
In its original form, which was passed unanimously by the South Carolina House in April, the legislation required businesses to list the country of origin of any shrimp they offered. However, the legislation was amended in the state senate, and the two bodies ultimately agreed to a compromise bill that only required businesses to list whether their shrimp was of foreign origin or domestic. The final legislation was passed unanimously by the state house 25 June and on 22-5 vote in the state senate. The bill has been sent to the governor for his signature and will go into effect 120 days after that.
The legislation was spurred on by genetic testing conducted by Houston, Texas, U.S.A.-based SeaD Consulting, a firm that has been sampling shrimp sold in Southern U.S. states to highlight the prevalence of foreign shrimp be sold in those communities. The company’s testing in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A. found that 40 of 44 restaurants tested were selling foreign shrimp, “misleading consumers in their branding, menu descriptions, or proximity to local docks.”
“This is not only deceptive but also insulting to the hardworking shrimpers whose livelihoods are being undermined,” SeaD Consulting Founder and COO Erin Williams said in a statement. “It’s decimating the entire regional economy and culture they’ve worked for generations to build and promote.”
The South Carolina Shrimpers Association sued those companies, but the lawsuit was dismissed by a district court in November 2025.
Following passage of the labeling law 25 June, South Carolina attorney Gedney Howe, who represented the South Carolina Shrimpers Association in that lawsuit, took to social media to declare victory.
“To the opposition, the haters, the short-sighted restaurateurs, their lobbyists, and the handful of legislators who spent months carrying water for deceptive practices and imported substitutions: may your shrimps be forever radioactive,” Howe said. “The game is over. No more hiding behind vague ‘fresh local’ euphemisms while serving farm-raised imports. THE PEOPLE will know what they’re buying, and South Carolina shrimpers will finally get the fair playing field they deserve.”
