Nearly One In Four Baton Rouge Restaurant Shrimp Dishes Misrepresented To Customers

(KMDL-FM) Baton Rouge is Louisiana's capital city. It is where all of our state's laws are debated, reviewed, and enacted. In a city that should be the state's shining example of honesty, transparency, and support for Louisiana, Baton Rouge restaurants are offering a giant middle finger to Louisiana's shrimping and fishing families.

a sculpture made of wooden blocks and balls

Yes, right there in the shadow of Billy "I Love Louisiana Seafood" Nungesser and his "Louisiana Seafood Cookoff," there are countless Baton Rouge restaurants that are not only serving inferior imported shrimp, but they dare to claim the shrimp they serve is "wild-caught. "

Yes, I do hold Lt Governor Nungesser as a responsible party. He is our spokesperson for Louisiana Seafood and Louisiana Tourism. Do we really want to invite visitors to come sample seafood that isn't ours? Billy, you need to do better by the people of Louisiana. Pretend like you're sucking up to Anderson Cooper after a hurricane; it worked once, maybe it would work again.

Louisiana Has an Imported Shrimp Problem Exacerbated by Lies

SeaD Consulting first came to us more than a year ago with information that several vendors at the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City were not following Louisiana seafood labeling laws. Many of those vendors were caught selling imported shrimp and calling it Louisiana.

Submitted Photo via SeaD Consulting

The latest test done by SeaD Consulting on behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents shrimp fishermen, processors, and related businesses in Louisiana and the seven other warmwater shrimp-producing states. The results of the testing found that the "misrepresentation rate" in Baton Rouge regarding shrimp and its origin had risen from 21% in April to 27% in an August sampling.

READ MORE: Lafayette Chef Wins Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off

To add insult to injury for Louisiana Shrimpers and their families, 100% of the shrimp found to be imported by SeaD genetic testing were advertised and identified as domestic.

Submitted Photo via SeaD Consulting

A breakdown of the April 2026 Baton Rouge test found that 30 of 44 dishes tested were found to be American Wild Caught; that's 68%. Nine of the 44 dishes tested were found to be imported or farm-raised and were explicitly misrepresented as Wild Caught; that is 21%.

The most recent Baton Rouge restaurant shrimp test found that 16 of 22 dishes tested were found to be American Wild Caught; that's 73%. While 6 of 22 dishes were found to be imported or farm-raised and were again explicitly misrepresented as Wild Caught; that's 27%.

The Loophole That Lets Louisiana Restaurants Lie To You About Their Shrimp

Submitted Photo via SeaD Consulting

Many restaurants post a sign that reads: “Some items served at this establishment may contain imported seafood. Ask for more information.” That loophole takes all the pressure of honest disclosure off of the offending business. It puts the responsibility on you and me instead. And we, as Louisiana seafood lovers, should be asking the question every time we order shrimp.

READ MORE: Results of Shrimp Testing in Shreveport - It's Not Good

There is legislation that would close this loophole. House Bill 857 specifically addresses the issue of "commingling".That would be the practice of imported shrimp being mixed in with legitimate wild-caught shrimp. That legislation would require processors, distributors, and those who serve seafood to disclose the seafood for what it is.

Just so you know, we have inquired about obtaining a list of restaurants that do not comply with current Louisiana seafood labeling law. That request was declined. However, I will happily share with you the Baton Rouge restaurants that have been confirmed and proudly serve American Wild-Caught Shrimp.

The Following Baton Rouge Restaurants Serve American Wild-Caught Shrimp

Boiled shrimps, peeled for cooking

Please give your seafood business to Acme Oyster House on Perkins, Baton Rouge Po Boy on O'Neal Lane, BRQ Seafood and Barbeque on Jefferson Highway, City Cafe on O'Neal Lane, Cork's Cajun Fried Fish & Shrimp on Government Street. Crawford's Restaurant on Staring Lane, Doe's Eat Place on Government Street, Drusilla Seafood Restaurant on Drusilla Lane, Frank's Restaurant on Airline Highway, Jack's Seafood on Plank Road, Mike Anderson's on West Lee, Parrains Seafood on Perkins Road, SoLou on Perkins Road, and Tony's Seafood Market and Deli on Plank Road.

If you choose to order seafood at any other Baton Rouge restaurant, assume they are lying to you until they prove they are not. We are either supporters of Louisiana seafood and the people who earn a living from it, or we are pretenders.

READ MORE: See The Result of SeaD Consulting Tests in CENLA

You can learn more about the testing that was just completed in Baton Rouge. And if you have some legitimate Louisiana Gulf Shrimp, you can create something delicious using these suggestions. Trust me, they taste better when they come from Louisiana waters.