1 day Ago By WKRG
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Researchers tested shrimp at 44 food service locations in the Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Foley area to determine if their shrimp was locally farmed or imported. But what about all the other restaurants excluded from the study? PREVIOUS REPORTING: 19 Baldwin County restaurants claiming imported shrimp is locally sourced: report About SeaD Consulting’s genetic testing on shrimp SeaD Consulting, a Texas-based group, conducted its study March 23-27 on behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance — “an organization of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas,” the SSA’s website states.
According to that report , 19 of the 44 sampled restaurants claimed to use Gulf wild-caught shrimp when genetic testing showed they were using imported shrimp. Those restaurants were not named. Twenty-five of the restaurants that do serve local shrimp, based on results from the small sample of the region, were named in SeaD’s report.
Restaurants not named in the report, which may not have even been a part of the study, say their businesses are being accused of not selling local shrimp when they do. SeaD Consulting Founder and Commercial Fishery Scientist Dave Williams told News 5 how the 44 restaurants were selected. Sead-Consulting-Study Download According to Williams, SeaD Consulting pulls records of all restaurants in the area — in this case, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Foley — and uses keywords such as “seafood” to narrow the list.
Once the list is down to 100, SeaD Consulting uses a random number generator to remain unbiased, which is how they arrived at testing 44 restaurants. Reaction to SeaD Consulting’s March 2025 study News 5 reported on the study’s release , and received hundreds of comments. Many people wondered why the 19 restaurants researchers said weren’t sourcing shrimp locally went unnamed.
“We only publicize the names of the restaurants who are supporting the local shrimping industry first, and will send letters to those restaurants found to be misrepresenting so they can address the issue and ensure it’s not a supplier problem,” a SeaD Consulting spokesperson said in a statement to News 5 at the time. “The names are also given to local authorities for review and enforcement.” Many local restaurants shared concerns about the study’s publicly released findings .
The Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar, located in Bon Secour, said in a Facebook post, “Only 44 restaurants have been tested in the area. “We would like to be clear, The Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar serves Gulf Shrimp and Has for the last 20 years!” A manager at Wolf Bay Lodge, which has Foley and Orange Beach locations, told WKRG their shrimp are locally sourced because they go out on the water every morning to catch them. Fire Smoked Fish Company, a veteran-owned business in Gulf Shores, said they get their shrimp locally in Bon Secour.
Meanwhile, restaurants that were included in SeaD’s sample and tested positively for sourcing shrimp locally celebrated their recognition. “Come experience our excellent seafood,” De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen, located in Gulf Shores, shared on Facebook . “A number of restaurants hadn’t been given the chance to undergo assessment yet.
“We didn’t realize that we had been tested by them until this article was released.” “Come see us for some fresh Gulf Shrimp! We are proud to be on the list!” LuLu’s Gulf Shores commented on News 5’s Facebook post . SeaD Consulting’s past genetic testing on Gulf Coast shrimp This isn’t the first time SeaD Consulting has studied Gulf Coast shrimp.
In 2024, the Texas-based group tested five vendors at the National Shrimp Festival; from that sample, only one reportedly had authentic Gulf shrimp: Rouse’s Supermarket. The event’s organizers said vendor contracts required them to use domestic shrimp , monetary penalties would be involved for violators, and repeat violators could be removed from the festival, News 5 reported. Ryan Moberly, communications director for the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, also questioned Williams’ decision not to name violators in that study.
“If he refuses to release the alleged violators’ names to us, there’s very little we can do to ensure these vendors are penalized or asked not to come back to our Festival,” Moberly said at the time. Neil Costes contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc.
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