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Testing source of shrimp at local restaurants
Aaron Mesmer reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Shrimp dishes are a staple at many Tampa Bay area restaurants, but according to seafood experts, customers may not be getting what they’re paying for.
What we know:
In January, SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, tested shrimp samples from 44 restaurants across the region. The results were eye-opening: only two of the businesses claiming to offer Gulf shrimp were actually serving wild-caught Gulf shrimp. One of them was Salt Shack on the Bay.
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"When you taste it, the flavor’s better," said Katherine Bovinette, Salt Shack’s chief operating officer. "I’m hoping that now that the news is out, the restaurants and the community are making a different choice."
SeaD returned on Friday to re-test shrimp at more than 20 restaurants in the area, hoping the original findings sparked change.
The backstory:
SeaD founder David Williams said it’s not difficult to determine whether a shrimp is truly from the Gulf. By analyzing its DNA, experts can identify if it’s a farm-raised species commonly imported from overseas.
READ: Tampa's shrimping industry shrinks: A century-old family business fights to survive
"It’s very simple," Williams said. "If we identify that species, we know it is not a Gulf shrimp."
SeaD said the incentive to substitute imported shrimp is financial: foreign farm-raised shrimp costs less but is often sold at premium prices, while being falsely labeled by some restaurants as locally-sourced.
"The biggest problem was the fact that people sell Gulf shrimp but don’t serve Gulf shrimp," said Williams. "That was killing our industry."
Tampa’s once-thriving shrimp docks have also been affected. Only two companies remain in operation, mirroring a broader decline across Gulf states.
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The Southern Shrimp Alliance contracted SeaD to investigate in hopes of curbing further damage.
What they're saying:
Blake Price of the Southern Shrimp Alliance said the fraud hurts both consumers and domestic fishermen.
"The increased awareness alone has, in turn, increased demand for domestic wild-caught shrimp," Price said. "While [shrimpers] are losing infrastructure, they’re hanging on, and we need to stabilize this industry."
Bovinette echoed that sentiment: "You can just tell instantly the quality’s better."
What's next:
SeaD Consulting is currently wrapping up its latest round of testing, with results expected early next week.
The Source: Information for this story came from FOX 13’s reporting and interviews with SeaD Consulting, Salt Shack on the Bay and the Southern Shrimp Alliance.