In a spot check, the conservation group Oceana found 30 percent of the 143 shrimp products that it tested were misrepresented. The group purchased the items from 111 grocery stores and restaurants in four regions. The highest rate of misrepresentation, 43 percent, was in New York City; the lowest was 5 percent in Portland, Oregon. In Washington, DC, and the Gulf Coast – from Pensacola to New Orleans and Houston – the rate was 30 percent. Misrepresentation included shrimp that were mislabeled, shrimp that were sold as a more desirable type, such as wild rather than farmed, or commingled.
Oceana said the government should require traceability of seafood sold in the United States to assure it is safe, caught legally and labeled honestly. The administration appointed a task force in June to combat seafood fraud. The results on shrimp are similar to a 2013 Oceana report that found 33 percent of 1,200 fish samples were not accurately labeled.