CHARLESTON – A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit against 40 Charleston-area restaurants by the South Carolina Shrimpers Association challenging the advertising of where their shrimp came from.

The Oct. 30 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel brings an end to a months-long dispute between Charleston’s shrimping industry and restaurant scene that was locally nicknamed “Shrimpgate.”

The nonprofit organization sued the restaurants in June, alleging the various eateries of marketing their shrimp as “local” when a third-party study found the shellfish was imported product.

The Shrimpers Association also accused the restaurants of violating South Carolina's Unfair Trade Practices Act and the Lanham Act, a federal law that prohibits false advertising.

The 40 restaurants involve

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