CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When you order Gulf shrimp at a restaurant in the Coastal Bend, you expect it to be fresh from nearby waters. But a new study conducted by SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company, shows that’s not always the case.
Co-Founder of SeaD, David Williams, and his team tested shrimp from 44 Corpus Christi restaurants using its patented Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test, known as the RIGHTTest. Only 19 of those restaurants were confirmed to be serving genuine wild-caught Gulf shrimp.
“It’s important for places that are on the coast that promote coastal living and coastal cooking to actually support the industry that the restaurant promotes,” Williams said.
The remaining 25 restaurants were found to be serving imported or farm-raised shrimp, despite menu claims, staff assurances or branding suggesting Gulf or wild-caught origins. Of those, 21 explicitly described their shrimp as local or domestic.
So why does this matter?
Williams mentioned that imported shrimp, often produced under unregulated environmental and labor conditions, undercuts the local shrimp industry and misleads customers who pay premium prices expecting local seafood.
“With shrimp boats docked alongside coastal restaurants surrounding Corpus Christi, there is no excuse for more than half of sampled restaurants to be duping their diners,” said Erin Williams, Co-Founder of SeaD Consulting, added in a written statement. “Consumers should be able to trust that when they order Gulf shrimp, that’s exactly what’s on their plate.”
One of the restaurants that passed SeaD’s RIGHTTest was Water Street Oyster Bar in downtown Corpus Christi. Owner, Richard Lomax, said the restaurant’s success comes from a commitment to sourcing quality products and being transparent with customers.
“We might as well just source quality products, be honest with what’s in the door and try to provide that to our customers,” Lomax said. “We find that’s the best path always, and we’ve been doing that since 1983.”
What started as a local seafood authenticity issue is now taking a political turn. A new Texas law requires food service suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, and wholesale distributors selling shrimp to include a label to the restaurant with “clear and conspicuous notice stating whether the shrimp is imported." Additionally, the law prohibits restaurants from labeling or representing imported shrimp as “Texas shrimp,” “Gulf shrimp,” “American shrimp,” or “Domestic shrimp.”
If there is any violation of these requirements, the legislation authorizes the Texas Health Department, a public health district, a county, or a municipality to impose an administrative penalty. The law takes effect on September 1.
SeaD Consulting is supported and funded through The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA). The organization represents shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in eight warmwater shrimp producing states, including Texas.
The following 19 restaurants were confirmed to be serving authentic Gulf shrimp:
- U& I Seafood & Steaks – 309 S Water St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
- Executive Surf Club – 306 N Chaparral St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
- Water Street Oyster Bar – 309 N Water St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
- Paradise Key Dockside Bar & Grill – 165 Cove Harbor N, Rockport, TX 78382
- Los Comales – 431 Hwy 35 S Rockport, TX 78382
- Pier 77 – 3307 Hwy 35 N Fulton, TX 78358
- Shrimp-It-Up – 120 S 8th St, Aransas Pass, TX 78336
- Texas A1 – 14241 Northwest Blvd Ste 105, Corpus Christi, TX 78410
- Gallery 41 – 100 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401
- Black Oyster Bar – 418 NAS Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
- Snoopy's Pier & Restaurant – 13313 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
- Doc's Seafood & Steaks – 13309 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
- Angry Marlin – 15605 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418
- Trout Street Bar + Grill – 104 W Cotter Ave, Port Aransas, TX 78373
- Old Fulton Seafood Café & Steakhouse – 2828 Hwy 35 N, Rockport, TX 78382
- Charlotte Plummer's Seafare Restaurant – 202 N Fulton Beach Rd, Rockport, TX 78382
- Mickey Bar & Grill – 430 Ransom Rd, Aransas Pass, TX 78336
- Catfish Charlie's – 5830 McArdle Rd #12, Corpus Christi, TX 78412
- Saltwater Grill – 2401 Cimarron Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78414
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