Southern Shrimp Alliance claims widespread shrimp mislabeling among Tampa, Florida, restaurants

“To discover that the majority of restaurants are serving shrimp sourced from overseas is a wake-up call for the area’s food scene.”
An aerial shot of a lone fishing boat at sea
SEAD Consulting conducted testing at several seafood markets, restaurants, and festivals in 2024, with some tests revealing shocking levels of foreign-harvested shrimp | Photo courtesy of PTAP Aerial/Shutterstock
6 Min

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) claims that 96 percent of the shrimp tested at restaurants in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A., was imported, despite being largely marketed as domestic product.

DNA testing conducted by Houston, Texas, U.S.A.-based SEAD Consulting found that of 44 restaurants sampled, only two – Salt Shack on the Bay in Tampa and Stillwaters Tavern in St. Petersburg – were confirmed to be serving local Gulf of Mexico shrimp.

“When diners think of Tampa and St. Pete, they think of seafood fresh from the Gulf,” SEAD Consulting Founder and Commercial Fishery Scientist David Williams said in a statement. “To discover that the majority of restaurants are serving shrimp sourced from overseas is a wake-up call for the area’s food scene.”

The results of the Tampa and St. Petersburg testing were extremely high, but SSA Executive Director John Williams said the findings did not come as a shock.

“It really didn't surprise me,” Williams told SeafoodSource. “I didn't realize it'd be that high, but even at that number, it didn't surprise me because I know sales of imported products are certainly greater than what we can provide [domestically].”

The testing reveals a serious concern for domestic shrimp producers, according to Williams, as ...


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