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Understanding the Details of a Shrimp Label

Shrimp is the top seafood consumed in the United States.  In 2018, Louisiana landed 97 million lbs. of shrimp with a dockside value more than $120 million, which was 33% of all shrimp caught in the U.S. However, the shrimp that local fishermen bring to the dock are not always the shrimp that land in your grocery store or other retailer. Louisiana wild­ caught shrimp compete in the marketplace with farm-raised shrimp, many of which are imported from Asia or South America. In fact in 2018, the U.S. imported 1.53 billion lbs. of shrimp; the U.S. is now the third largest importer of farmed shrimp in the world, and about 90% of shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported.

The label on the shrimp package or at the seafood counter can give you a lot of information about the shrimp you are purchasing.  To help you understand the details, Louisiana Sea Grant produced an excellent video on the anatomy of a  shrimp label.

Click here to learn more about shrimp imports, with this fact sheet by Louisiana Fisheries Forward.

 

 

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