Lawsuit claims 'shrimp fraud' at Charleston restaurants
S.C. shrimping industry warns of false 'local' seafood claims
The following article appeared in the June 16, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Think you’re eating local shrimp at the beach this summer? It might actually be cheap Asian knockoffs, S.C. shrimping industry says
Shrimp boats at Shem Creek, outside Charleston, S.C. South Carolina’s shrimping industry is warning that many restaurants serve cheap foreign shrimp instead of locally caught shrimp. (Photo: Shutterstock)
For some beachgoers, no summer vacation is complete without a seafood dinner.
But the shrimping industry is warning this year that many restaurants in South Carolina are falsely advertising “local seafood” when they’re actually importing it from Asia.
On Friday, the S.C. Shrimpers Association sued 40 Charleston-area restaurants, alleging that they are falsely claiming to serve local seafood while actually serving shrimp caught in India, China, Vietnam and Ecuador.
The federal lawsuit follows a round of genetic shrimp testing last month by an industry-hired consultant that found that 40 of 44 Charleston-area restaurants were “misleading customers in their branding, menu descriptions or proximity to local docks, with 25 found to be outright fraudulent.”
The lawsuit alleges that the restaurants “have falsely advertised shrimp served in their establishments as ‘local,’ ‘Carolina-caught,’ ‘fresh South Carolina shrimp,’ among other misrepresentations, when in fact Restaurant Defendants knowingly served cheaper shrimp that was farmed or harvested out-of-state.”
The suit and the genetic testing report do not name the restaurants. The Shrimpers Association says the identities of the restaurants can be established as the lawsuit proceeds, with the names added later.
It’s illegal to falsely market the origin of shrimp, the association says.
“Shrimp fraud is not a victimless crime,” said Bryan Jones of the S.C. Shrimpers Association, according to TV station WCSC, at a press conference Friday at Shem Creek, a riverside stretch of seafood restaurants outside Charleston.
The Association has a “fresh shrimp locator” on its website that lists more than 120 restaurants that serve verified South Carolina-caught shrimp. —Tony Mecia
➡️ Read the federal shrimp lawsuit 🍤
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