At the end of High-profile seafood fraud case A new Alabama law goes into effect on October 1, 2024 to prevent similar fraudulent practices after a Mississippi restaurant admitted to passing off imported fish as local Gulf of Mexico seafood.

The Mississippi case resulted in the restaurant paying a $1.35 million fine and pleading guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud after it served customers seafood made from low-quality frozen fish from Africa, Suriname and India that it claimed were caught in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in customers being charged significantly higher prices for their meals.

Alabama Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger Island) has introduced a bill that would require Alabama restaurants to disclose whether the seafood they serve is domestic or imported, and Gov. Kay Ivey has signed the bill into law, which is expected to go into effect later this year.

Brown said the legislation is necessary because mislabeled and mispriced foreign seafood is becoming increasingly prevalent in Alabama, as evidenced by the Mississippi scandal.

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“Alabama's commercial fishing industry plays a vital role in our economy, and with foreign products flooding the U.S. market, it is essential that we support, protect and promote it,” Gov. Brown said this week.

“By requiring disclosure of whether seafood is domestic or imported, we can encourage Alabama-caught product, ensure consumers are informed about the food they consume, and hold restaurants accountable if they engage in similar deceptive practices.”

Specifically, the new law requires restaurants to state whether the seafood they sell is domestic or imported on the menu or in a “prominent sign” that is clearly visible to diners and patrons.

Provisions in the bill would also require advertisements for seafood products and dishes sold in restaurants to include this information. Additionally, the law would require a similar method to be used to disclose whether a fish or shrimp product is farmed or wild-caught.

The law would go into effect on Oct. 1, 2024, and the Alabama Department of Public Health would be responsible for enforcing the new rules.

Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on X. @ShipleyAusten