SeaD Consulting tested shrimp served at Jackson-area restaurants and found some of them wanting. The company issued the following statement.
In the heart of Mississippi, far from coastal docks but deeply tied to Gulf seafood culture, a new investigation has uncovered what appears to be widespread deception in seafood sourcing. Genetic testing of shrimp dishes served in a substantial percentage of Jackson-area restaurants shows that a large majority of establishments are confusing consumers by serving imported shrimp presented as domestic wild-caught.Company website.
From June 23–26, 2025, SeaD Consulting—commissioned by the Southern Shrimp Alliance—conducted scientific genetic testing on shrimp dishes served at 44 seafood restaurants across Jackson and surrounding areas, covering ZIP codes 39218, 39073, 39272, 39211, 39201, 39232, 39157, 39110, and 39047. Using its patented RIGHTTest™ (Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test), SeaD Consulting identified whether the shrimp being served was genuine U.S. wild-caught shrimp or imported shrimp.
Troubling Results
Only 14 of the 44 restaurants tested were found to be serving authentic domestic wild-caught shrimp, as either implied or explicitly advertised. The remaining 30 restaurants were found to be serving imported shrimp instead of wild-caught to consumers in the dishes tested. SeaD’s investigation concluded that 18 dishes tested appeared to be explicitly inauthentic based on menu or staff claims, while 10 were determined to be implicitly inauthentic based on each restaurants’ decor, location, or branding. Two restaurants openly admitted to serving imported shrimp (but only after being directly asked), despite the fact that their advertising appeared to imply that the shrimp their restaurants served was local or wild-caught, and they had no notices or signs posted indicating that they serve imported shrimp at the time the sample was obtained.
“Mississippians deserve to know what they’re being served—especially in a region where wild-caught Gulf shrimp is a source of pride and economic livelihood,” said Erin Williams, Co-Founder and COO of SeaD Consulting. “We are hopeful that new restaurant labeling laws will turn the tide and bring greater honesty to the table.”
Restaurants Honored for Serving Local
The following 14 restaurants sampled and confirmed to be serving domestic, wild-caught shrimp and are being recognized for their integrity and contribution to protecting Mississippi’s shrimping heritage:
AHA Crawfish Bistro – 1055 U.S. 49 Frontage Rd, Richland, MS 39218
Berry's Seafood and Catfish House – 2942 US 49, Florence, MS 39073
DA SHAK – 5752 Terry Rd, Ste A1, Byram, MS 39272
Dragos – 1005 E County Line Rd, Jackson, MS 39211
Hal + Mal's – 200 Commerce St B, Jackson, MS 39201
Half Shell Oyster House – 115 Laurel Park Cove, Suite 105, Flowood, MS 39232
McB's Bar & Grill – 815 Lake Harbour Dr, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Primos Café (Madison) – 201 Baptist Dr, Madison, MS 39110
Shaggy's on the Rez – 1733 Spillway Rd, Brandon, MS 39047
Season’s Crawfish – 238 Wisenberger Road, Madison MS 39110
Shucker’s Oyster Bar – 116 Conestoga Rd, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Table 100 – 100 Ridge Way, Flowood, MS 39232
The Mayflower Cafe – 123 W Capitol St, Jackson, MS 39201
Twisted Turnip – 166 Calhoun Station Pkwy, Madison, MS 39110
A New Law and New Expectations
“This testing was conducted just before Mississippi’s new restaurant seafood labeling law went into effect on July 1, 2025,” said Leann Bosarge, Board Member of the Southern Shrimp Alliance and Head of Development for Bosarge Boats in Pascagoula, MS. “While the current results show a serious gap in truthfulness, we are hopeful that upon retesting, the new law will drive real improvements in transparency and accountability.”
The Stakes for Shrimpers and Consumers
Imported shrimp—often raised in less regulated and sometimes unknown conditions abroad—is not subject to the same quality or labor standards as U.S. wild-caught shrimp. Mislabeling erodes trust, undercuts honest restaurants, and threatens the livelihoods of domestic shrimpers.
“Whether you're in a coastal town or Mississippi’s capitol, when a restaurant says they serve wild-caught shrimp, it should mean it's wild-caught and not farm-raised,” said John Williams, Executive Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Restaurants capitalizing on the Gulf's seafood culture should do so with honesty, not deception.”
Next Steps and Consumer Empowerment
Follow-up testing will track improvements under the new law. Ideally, the 30 restaurants found to not be serving domestic shrimp would have signage or menu labelling to demonstrate country of origin of their offering (in addition to verbally stating upon request). Better yet, those same restaurants would start serving the U.S. wild-caught shrimp they are portraying to their customers.
Consumers are encouraged to ask restaurants where their shrimp comes from and request proof. Look for the label “wild-caught U.S.” and ask to see the product packaging.
About the Southern Shrimp Alliance
The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) represents shrimp fishermen, processors, and businesses in the eight warmwater shrimp-producing states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. SSA is funding this multi-state investigation into seafood mislabeling.
About SeaD Consulting, LLC
SeaD (Seafood Development) Consulting, LLC collaborates with seafood producers, researchers, governments, and environmental advocates to promote sustainability and truth in seafood sourcing. SeaD holds the patent for the RIGHTTest™, developed with Florida State University, and is leading this landmark study across eight states.
For more on the investigation or to report suspected mislabeling, visit: www.seadconsulting.com
Disclaimer: SeaD’s testing and reporting is intended to be used as an investigatory tool to assist the restaurant industry's fight against seafood mislabeling and is not intended for use in any legal proceedings, nor may SeaD’s data, testing, or reporting be used in any legal proceeding without the express written authorization of SeaD.
#KnowYourShrimp #SEADConsulting #SouthernShrimpAlliance
35 comments:
How about ID’ing the restaurants who were serving imported shrimp?
where is the list of the 30 cheaters?
Since Half Shell is a chain, I'm surprised the one in Madison is not mentioned along with the one in Flowood which IS listed as being in compliance with their advertising.
So-called Seafood Restaurants would offer a more pleasant experience if they did not serve crab legs.
Since we don't know all of the restaurants tested, please provide the names of the restaurants who "fibbed"
I also would like to know the names of the 30 restaurants serving non-domestic shrimp, rather than us assuming that every other restaurant in town is doing that.
I may have missed it in the writeup, but wondering if when these 'testers' show up, they are welcomed (like the Health Dept.) or have some sort of authority to test or could even be turned away...since this was a privately funded restaurant survey.
DA SHAK in Byram is on the up but Mary Mahoney's are the cheats. Just goes to show you that good things don't always come in shiny packages. I'll go check them out.
They are going to over regulate us to death! How can they regulate food? It’s madness! The demtards!
Like others have said, I want to know who was lying!
They don't want to be proven wrong and sued for libel/defamation. That's why they don't name them. While they're sort of confident in their tests... they're not 'come and sue me' confident.
If most people were honest there would be no need to regulate us repubtard.
Who wasn’t a d dud they get fined
3:18 - "So-called Seafood Restaurants [sic] would offer a more pleasant experience if they did not serve crab legs."
Is it the crab legs or the Black people eating them that you find unpleasant?
"while 10 were determined to be implicitly inauthentic based on each restaurants’ decor, location, or branding."
You mean to sit here and tell me Captain D's, with all the nets, and buoys and stuff on the wall, isn't serving me domestic authentic shrimp? Next you're going to tell me the shrimp in my fajitas are from elsewhere too?
If you go into a place that's not on the list of 14 that are serving honest shrimp just ask them "did you fail the Shrimp DNA Test?" before you order!
I bet Andy Gipson will name names now that the law requires truth in labeling.
Didn't bother to read?
I find it humorous there are "steamer" places all along the Gulf Coast that server crab legs and lobster like it was freshly caught in the Gulf. People actually believe it too.
Now test the processors to make sure they’re not mixing imported shrimp with “gulf caught”
Suggested Headline Change: Stanky Shrimp in Jackson
All bluster for more expensive shrimp via tariffs. Shrimping is hard work and if shrimpers got paid for their actual efforts each shrimp would cost about $5.00 each raw. At that price - no more customers.
One my truckin buds picked up Chinese Shrimp in California & took it to Gulfport. It Was Re-Boxed as USA Shrimp...That was before everbody was DNA Testing their meal...Can't get away with nuthin no mo...
I don't understand how there's enough shrimp in the world to satisfy my personal intake, but I would like to know if I'm eating something that was raised in an open sewer ditch in Vietnam. That's why I stopped eating "Swai" when I learned about it.
Speaking of Captain Ds. What kind of fish is really in that sandwich?
I’m glad they regulate food. I want to know what I’m really eating.
Good to know the integrity of my shrimp is intact. Wish we could take some of that effort and put it into humanitarian problems around here. Our priorities are all fucked up from the top down.
Don't you want to know if your family is eating fish raised in a shit-ditch in China?
Translation please ^^
How can we know if the restaurant intentionally sold mislabeled shrimp or if they unknowingly bought shrimp that was labeled or sold as Gulf caught?
There are a lot of alleged "FINE DINING" restaurants in the metro area that are not included the list above maybe they just weren't part of the test group.
Wait until you learn most cheap scallops are sting ray cut with a hole punch, or redfish is actually another drum relative, but not redfish. I would like these folks to test the red snapper so we can bust NOAA’s and Gulf Fisheries Council’s balls about the commercial fisherman welfare they are given while the recreational fishermen get screwed year after year….
What democrats are regulating this? This was a republican bill.
Andy Gipson has never eaten a shrimp in his life. He's a catfish and bream man. Please don't insult him.
99% of all imported shrimp have been raised up in freshwater ponds in INDIA, and has spent its whole life swimming around in its own shit.
by the way , all them freshwater ponds are located just downhill from a pig farm.
and yes ......pig shit is what they eat.
It’s irresponsible to not publish the names of the 30 guilty restaurants. If I had a seafood restaurant not tested, I would be furious; every restaurant not listed is now suspect.
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