Shrimp scandal rocks US South

Singh (right) and a research assistant testing shrimp from a hotel conference room in New Orleans. — Bryan Tarnowski/The New York Times

IMAGINE sitting down for a seafood meal at a coastal American restaurant. You’re on holiday. The decor is nautical – fishnets, framed boats and even a stuffed marlin or two.

You order shrimp, assuming it’s from nearby waters.