Tucked alongside the Red River, Alexandria, Louisiana, visitors and diners might want to take a closer look at the shrimp they are ordering.
A recent investigation by SEAD Consulting has revealed that when it comes to shrimp, the odds of getting the real Gulf deal are a fifty-fifty shot.
SEAD, using its field-based RIGHTTest genetic technology, tested shrimp dishes from 24 restaurants across Alexandria and nearby Pineville on June 3-4, 2025. According to a recent study by SeaD Consulting, 11 out of 24 restaurants tested (54 percent) were serving authentic Gulf shrimp, while 13 restaurants (46 percent) were serving imported or mislabeled shrimp. Often, without disclosure, the mislabelled or undiscloused shrimp is being served, according to SEAD. 7 out of 24 labeled imports and 6 out of 24 were explicitly fraudulent.
“This is about trust,” said Rodney Olander, Chair of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force. “Alexandria is a proud river city with deep Louisiana roots, and its people deserve to know when they're getting wild-caught Gulf shrimp — or when they’re being served imported farm-raised substitutes passed off as local. Having one in four restaurants being explicitly fraudulent is not right.”
The findings put Alexandria on par with other inland cities in the state, with a 25 percent inauthenticity rate; it’s lower than Baton Rouge’s 30 percent inauthenticity rate, but far behind New Orleans, which had only 13 percent of restaurants serving mislabeled shrimp.
While some Alexandria establishments correctly disclosed their shrimp origins, several were found to be misleading customers, a violation of Louisiana menu labeling laws.
The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force, which funded the investigation, emphasizes that supporting restaurants that serve local wild-caught shrimp is critical to sustaining Gulf fishing communities and the working watermen behind them.
These Alexandria & Pineville Restaurants Were Found to Be Serving Authentic Gulf Shrimp:
- Bucket's Crawfish & Seafood – 111 Maryhill Road, Pineville, LA 71360
- Crawfish Port, Inc. – 4731 Lee St, Alexandria, LA 71302
- Crazy Cajun Pineville – 6300 Shreveport Hwy, Pineville, LA 71360
- Deborge's Crawfish – 1807 Andrew Street, Alexandria, LA 71301
- Koal's Bar-B-Que – 5803 Coliseum Blvd, Alexandria, LA 71303
- Pit Grill Diner – 2360 N MacArthur Dr, Alexandria, LA 71303
- Red River Seafood & Sushi – 110 Versailles Blvd Suite F, Alexandria, LA 71303
- Rosie Jo's – 3140 S MacArthur Dr, Alexandria, LA 71301
- Rotolo's Craft & Crust – 112 Versailles Blvd Suite A, Alexandria, LA 71303
- Swamp Daddy's Crawfish – 55 MacArthur Dr, Alexandria, LA 71303
“These restaurants are doing it right,” said Dave Williams, founder of SEAD Consulting and a commercial fishery scientist. “They’re supporting the local economy and giving customers what they’re paying for — the flavor of Louisiana, from the docks to the table.”
Read more about SEAD's Charleston, SC findings here.
