Fish Fraud

"The American Heart Association, as well as new dietary guidelines from the U.S. government, both recommend eating eight ounces of seafood, or two seafood meals, a week. However, seafood consumers are often given insufficient, confusing or misleading information about the fish they purchase" (Oceana).

In fact, over 90% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, but less than 1% is inspected specifically for fraud or mislabeling. Unfortunately, grocery stores have the highest rate of mislabeled seafood. This lack of seafood transparency is a huge issue consumers face.

Fish that are more susceptible to fraud tend to have meat that is white, flakey, and blander-tasting. This non-distinctiveness makes the advertised species easier to mimic with different species. For example, some fish that are commonly mislabeled are snapper, tuna, cod, and bass.

So what can consumers do?

• Ask questions!
• Check the price (if it seems too good to be true, it probably is).
• Purchase the whole fish (which makes species identification easier).

To read more about fish fraud, from a publication by Oceana click here.

To learn more about Oceana, a nonprofit organization focused preserving and restoring the world's oceans, click here.