Mary McPhoney's was apparently not the only Gulf Coast restaurant passing off foreign seafood as "fresh from the gulf" as shrimp testing of Biloxi restaurants revealed many were doing the same. SeaD Consulting reported:
The Mississippi Gulf Coast, known for its rich seafood heritage, is under siege from a rising tide of seafood fraud that threatens local shrimpers, honest businesses, and consumers alike. Tourists and locals flock to restaurants with the expectation of enjoying fresh, wild-caught Gulf shrimp, but an alarming new investigation reveals that many establishments are misleading diners by serving imported, lower-quality shrimp instead.
Conducted by SeaD Consulting, this comprehensive investigation uncovered widespread misrepresentation of shrimp served at restaurants in Biloxi, Gulf Shores, and surrounding areas. Despite heavy marketing that emphasizes “fresh local seafood,” many restaurants are substituting authentic Gulf shrimp with cheaper, imported alternatives. The results are a wake-up call for consumers who are paying for one thing but receiving another.
Key Findings from the Investigation:
39% of Gulf White Shrimp Served Was Not Local: Of the 44 restaurants sampled and genetically tested, 17 establishments served imported shrimp while marketing it as local Gulf White Shrimp.
92% of Royal Red Shrimp Served Was Not Local: 22 of 24 restaurants who had Royal Red Shrimp listed on their menu admitted to serving inferior, lower-value Argentinian shrimp instead of the FDA-name protected Gulf Royal Red Shrimp that was being advertised.
82% of the restaurants were defrauding consumers about what they were buying. Cross referencing the Royal Red data with the local caught Gulf White Shrimp data determined that only 8 restaurants were honestly serving what they were advertising.
Significant Financial Impact on Consumers: The investigation revealed that fraudulent shrimp dishes were often priced as high as $24.95 per plate, meaning consumers are paying top dollar for inauthentic products. On average, diners spent $16.72 per fraudulent dish, with additional costs for gratuities, transportation, and parking further inflating the total.
“Consumers come to the coast expecting the finest, freshest Gulf seafood, but what they’re being served often falls far short of that,” said Erin Williams, COO of SeaD Consulting. “This isn’t just about mislabeling; it’s about eroding consumer trust, undercutting local businesses, and threatening the livelihood of hardworking Gulf shrimpers.”
Why Seafood Fraud Matters to You
Seafood fraud doesn't just undermine consumer trust—it harms the local economy and the hardworking fishermen who depend on selling genuine, wild-caught Gulf shrimp. Wild-caught Gulf shrimp are more expensive and harder to source than their imported counterparts, which are often produced with less stringent environmental controls. When restaurants mislead customers about their offerings, they aren’t just breaking the law—they’re also robbing consumers of their hard-earned money and damaging the reputation of local shrimpers who take pride in their work.
What Can You Do?
SeaD Consulting urges consumers to be vigilant when dining out and encourages them to take a stand against seafood fraud. Here's how you can help ensure you’re getting the seafood you deserve:
Ask Questions: Inquire about the origin of the shrimp served. Don’t be afraid to ask your server for proof that the shrimp is locally caught, such as seeing the box it came in—restaurants should be proud to show where their seafood comes from.
Demand Accountability: Support stronger regulations that require better transparency and enforcement against seafood mislabeling. Seafood fraud is illegal, and businesses should be held accountable.
Support Ethical Restaurants: Choose to dine at restaurants that can prove they are serving authentic, locally sourced seafood. Here are eight restaurants on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that were found to be serving 100% genuine Gulf shrimp:
Anthony’s Under the Oaks – 1217 Washington Ave, Ocean Springs, MS
Bayview Café – 850 Bayview Ave, Biloxi, MS
Da Best Wings – 157 Hardy Court Shopping Ctr., Gulfport, MS
Parrain’s Jambalaya Kitchen – 179 Reynoir St, Biloxi, MS
Patio 44-124 Main St, Biloxi, MS
Port City Café- 2561 Pass Rd Ste A, Biloxi, MS
Rouse’s Market 88 – 2384 Pass Rd, Biloxi, MS
Phoenicia Gourmet Restaurant – 1223 Government St, Ocean Springs, MS
The Fight for Transparency and Integrity in Seafood
SeaD Consulting’s innovative RIGHTTest technology is a key tool in the battle against seafood fraud. This rapid genetic test enables restaurants and consumers alike to verify the authenticity of the seafood being served. The company is calling for stronger regulations, greater consumer awareness, and better enforcement to protect both consumers and the local shrimping industry.
“We owe it to our communities, our fishermen, and our consumers to take action now,” said Williams. “Transparency and accountability are essential to safeguarding the integrity of our seafood industry and ensuring the public can trust the products they’re paying for.”
44 comments:
Shocking, I tell you, that coast people can not be trusted.
Thank you for publishing this. I'm not surprised by the widespread fraud and will definitely patronize the few restaurants who aren't defrauding their customers.
This explains why I have had better meals at fish camps and deer camps, made by genuine coonasses, than I ever had at any Mississippi Gulf Coast seafood restaurant!
The Coast has been an anything goes region for as long as anyone can remember. Probably due to the influence of New Orleans to the west. I wonder how many of the restaurants are in on the swindle and how many are being screwed by their wholesalers.
Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Where can we find the list of fraudulent restaurants?
Busted? Not really busted if they are not named. Did SeaD turn over their findings to the appropriate authorities?
Good point 12:51. Were they 'busted' or just outed.
Did they disclose who failed their tests?
No
Just rich assholes screwing over other rich assholes. I haven't been able to afford more than a can of tuna fish since the Obama administration.
"Sorry Charlie" is probably what I'll hear right before the mobsters whack my fin for joining ancestry for com.
I just ate 10 Royal Reds. Only one of them tasted right.
That's why I buy my shrimp straight off da boat. Otherwise, I just order the roast beef poboy (assuming the beef is real?).
I’m glad you included the list of honest business, but there’s still an issue of other honest businesses that weren’t tested. Since the list of dishonest businesses wasn’t made public, there’s probably other restaurants that serve what they claim, but since they aren’t on the “good” list, their patrons are probably wondering if they were on the “bad” one. There’s probably not many, but one would assume there’s at least a few more good ones out there.
Local seafood = seafood you eat locally....Did anyone misunderstand?
The only list I want to see is the one of honest ones.
You know all the casinos restaurants have fake shrimp.
What other of their offerings are suspect? Substituting Rats for genuine Nutria perhaps. Maybe Chicken in the Alligator Gumbo and trans strippers for drag queens, especially if New Orleans influences abound.
Not just Mississippi, it’s all over the U.S.
Explains why all the other restaurants were so very quiet when Mary's got in trouble. No one trashed them but no one supported them. Similar to politicians when one of them get's caught in some type of scam. The others go mum.
2:38 - I will say that a large amount of shrimp off the boats in the Biloxi Harbor used to go straight into the Beau. Seen them rolling the coolers in. Whether they still do that I can't say. And they probably never put those on the buffet and only served them in the nicer restaurants.
I tried to tell you people 40 years ago that allowing "white fish" to be called crab meat would lead to a slippery slope of seafood fraud. And here we are in 2025 and I am proven right again as usual!
Why did Mary Mahoney's get slammed so publicly, but the dozens of other guilty restaurants are just whispered about on a secret list?
I’ve got a masters in food science with an arm length of certifications and specializations. The story gets much worse from here. Aquaculture is fraught with disgusting and dangerous practices. Start with SE Asian shrimp industry - forced labor, awful cold storage if any, food balls made with mud a food waste or human waste and disease like Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease also known as early mortality syndrome. Food dyes and industrial bleaching chemical use is widespread. In short- know exactly where your shrimp originates. Farm raised tilapia may even be worse as China uses freshwater fish to clean sewage. I will not order tilapia at all. If you saw the parasites and worms visible on a light table, you wouldn’t either. Salmon should only be wild caught period, most of the farm raised is pink because of dyes and additives. I could go on for pages but you get the picture. Restaurant owners, chefs and procurement managers get scammed all the time. Be thankful for RSJ’s and bill latham types that run high quality establishments.
If you really want to get sick look up gutter oils which is used in cheap lotions and foods.
Go to any seafood section in the market at any Kroger and ask about the shrimp they have laid out on ice. Most times you'll be told they are Mississippi Gulf Shrimp. On occasion, an honest employee will tell you they are straight out of the China-Bagged shrimp over in the nearby frozen shrimp case, just spread out and thawed.
And the talapia...that's simply the definition of 'fish' in nine languages.
Who orders shrimp at Da Best Wings???
This whole study smells fishy...
I can get a 2 pound bag of the Argentine royal reds headless shell on frozen for less than $20 in the frozen section of Rameys in Brandon. Pay for them show the guys in the seafood dept. the receipt they'll steam them just how I like them for free. Sometimes they'll come up on the 2 day sale for 1/2 price. That's how I eat seafood "locally" I know what I'm getting.
Let's hope that RFK's efforts will help this in the new administration.
Royal Reds are very distinctive in color and flavor. Most served are just regular white shrimp that turn pink when cooked.
Look back at some of RSJs old endorsements of the fake fish places. Constantly saying they have such wonderful local fare. How would a diner know the quality if a chef falls for the cons?
"Biloxi, Gulf Shores, and surrounding areas."..."...local Gulf White Shrimp..." There sure is a lot of information missing from this "report."
Without knowing where the rest of the restaurants are, the 8 named ones might be all of the ones checked on the Mississippi coast. Or there could have been 43 on the Mississippi coast and "surrounding area" and 1 in Gulf Shores. "Surrounding areas" isn't defined in any way, and neither is "local." What's the difference in "Gulf White Shrimp" and "Gulf shrimp?" There are brown and white shrimp, along with "Royal Reds/royal reds" in the Gulf. Are "(white or brown) Gulf shrimp" from Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, or Texas "local?" Without getting too far into shrimping practices, where the boat happens to be based or offloads does not really matter to the consumer who orders, pays for, expects, and receives "gulf white shrimp."
I'd suspect, but do not know, that places owned by out-of-state corporations account for at least some of the tested outlets because the owner(s) of a locally-owned place would likely know they could buy fresh/frozen local shrimp cheaper than imported stuff from Sysco, etc. Notice that, a) not a single casino restaurant or any of the local-ishly owned multiple-outlet outfits were tested, or, b) not a single restaurant in any casino or any of those local chains passed.
The coast is lost.
Signed,
A madison resident
There's actually a 'Dyes Color Chart' for salmon. Those doing the faking, can actually choose which pink to use. Apparently, the only way to get real fish, is to meet the boat (if government interference hasn't stopped that, yet), then cook the fish, yourself. Since DHA, is the most compelling reason, really, for eating seafood, does anyone know less problematic sources for that fatty acid? I hear that Lamb is "Land Salmon", in that respect, but don't like the flavor.
I ate at Patio 44 two weeks ago while down in Biloxi for business and it was a very good meal. I'm glad to see them on the good list!
A bit of an update. They have a website which is easy to find. They have a wide range of testing and processing products, along with services, they are attempting to sell. That's a pretty significant conflict. I didn't see a single thing about qualifications, and the "Upcoming Events" page had two events, one from 2024 and one from 2023. There is a bit more info about this report there, but nothing of any significant meaning nor the list of "bad" restaurants. Most of what I saw was high school report-level stuff. I have no idea if this report is valid or not, but it is poorly written, unsupported, and basically useless. I wouldn't hire this amateurish company to do a real study with defensible, supported results. I'm not in the seafood or restaurant industry or anything connected to either but if this is what passes for a study in them, that's a problem.
I will say that I have no doubt whatsoever that restaurants all over serve mislabeled seafood. I have no doubt, as Mary Mahoney's proved, that at least some owners/chefs/managers know exactly what they are selling and lying like rugs about it. I don't know but would assume at least some are being conned by suppliers, as also shown by the Mary Mahoney's situation.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/96-seafood-restaurants-florida-cities-101648460.html
If their name has not been made public, then how are they "busted"...... So there is a private super-secret list. If nobody knows, they'll continue. Seems like a win more than a bust.
6:27, I think that's the point. There is no real difference between some of these fish, this is just a trade group protecting its turf....which I have no problem with. If our folks have to follow the law, they shouldn't be undercut by foreign operators. That is what it is really about. Not that it doesn't taste good.
Problem is they are advertising shrimp caught fresh from the Gulf. However, silly us. We are supposed to know they mean Gulf of Tonkin, not Gulf of Mexico.
You mean Gulf of America lol.
Sintara called it the Gulf of Mexico in It Happened in Monterey. On this site, the Chairman of the Board rules.
If you think the seafood industry has false advertising, you should have seen the girl I picked up in Thailand
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