Over 80% of sampled Tampa Bay restaurants still sell 'inauthentic' imported shrimp, study finds

Related video: Updated test to show whether Tampa Bay restaurants sell local shrimp

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A follow-up to a prior study of shrimp sold at Tampa Bay restaurants showed slow changes to the practice of serving local caught, wild Gulf shrimp.

Back in January 2024, SeaD Consulting conducted genetic testing that found that 96% of 44 Tampa Bay restaurants were not serving locally caught shrimp. Instead, they were selling cheaper, imported shrimp.

At the time, Salt Shack on the Bay and Stillwater Tavern in St. Petersburg were the only restaurants found to be serving authentic local shrimp.

Earlier this month, SeaD Consulting went back to 22 of the sampled restaurants to see if any changes were made. This time, the authenticity rate went down by 10 percentage points to 86% percent, still a majority.

“This progress proves that transparency works — but without strong state labeling laws, it happens far too slowly,” said Erin Williams, Founder and COO of SeaD Consulting. “Testing what is on the diner’s plate is the only way to know what is being served. These results often come as a shock to consumers who trust the restaurants to serve what they’re paying for.”

According to the new study, three of the 22 restaurants randomly sampled served authentic, wild-caught shrimp in the tested dishes. One of these was Salt Shack on the Bay. Stillwater Tavern was not included in the new study.

Two of the restaurants, 4th Street Shrimp Store and an unidentified restaurant, previously sold imported shrimp but switched to American, wild-caught shrimp.

As for the other 19 restaurants, 12 of them explicitly advertised themselves as selling Gulf or domestic shrimp — all while selling imported farm-raised shrimp. The other seven restaurants were said to be “implicitly inauthentic” through branded that suggested they had local shrimp when they did not.

According to SeaD Consulting, such practices involve importing shrimp through unregulated labor or environmental standards that undermine local shrimp fishermen and mislead customers who would want to support the local industry.

“We want restaurants to succeed by serving better-tasting American shrimp, not succeed by lying about it,” said Blake Price, deputy director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Truth in advertising isn’t just honest—it’s what keeps our fishing families working and our communities alive.”

In response, SeaD Consulting called for legislation to prevent local restaurants and other suppliers from mislabeling their shrimp and to help support local fishermen.

In 2024, Alabama passed a law that forced restaurants and grocery store delis to label their fish or shrimp by country of origin or as imported. It also required fish and shrimp to be labeled as farm-raised or wild-caught.

SeaD Consulting also suggested asking your local eatery if the shrimp they’re serving is authentic American shrimp or imports, and if they do, support the verified restaurants when possible.

“Every verified American wild-caught shrimp plate is a win,” Williams added. “But without legislation, consumers bear the burden of sorting fact from fiction. Florida’s lawmakers need to step up and safeguard both the industry and the public.”