Something fishy on your plate: Study finds rampant mislabeling of seafood sold in U.S.

In this 2008 photo released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, red snapper, foreground, caught by commercial fishermen in the fall of 2008 is boxed at a dock in Mount Pleasant, S.C., before being taken to market to be sold to restaurants. / AP Photo/South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

A third of the seafood sold in the United States is mislabeled and consumers don't have a clue, new research has found.

According to the conservation organization Oceana, fish sold as snapper has the highest mislabeling rate. The group's the study shows that 87 percent of the time you think you're buying snapper, you're actually being given something else.

Tuna was next on the list as 59 percent of the samples were identified by DNA analysis as something other than what was on the label. Oceana claims its study is one of the largest seafood fraud investigations in the world to date.

Oceana analyzed 1,215 seafood samples from 674 retail outlets in 21 states between 2010 and 2012. The group's research was restricted to retail outlets including restaurants, sushi outlets and grocery stores. The group did not identify individual outlets as it could not say exactly where in the supply chain the seafood fraud occurred.

Play Video

Headlines: One-third of seafood sold mislabeled

The group called for a comprehensive and transparent traceability system - one that tracks fish from boat to plate - to be established at the national level. It also demanded increased inspection and testing of U.S. seafood, specifically for mislabeling, and stronger federal and state enforcement of existing laws combating fraud.

"Our government has a responsibility to provide more information about the fish sold in the U.S., as seafood fraud harms not only consumers' wallets, but also every honest vendor and fisherman cheated in the process;to say nothing of the health of our oceans," the group said.

[Donnie_G]

See, I told you that tuna fish didn't have legs! :)

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
nothing surprising, the factors that lead to fraud, ie greed, carelessness and vice, etc... also exist in the U.S., as elsewhere in the world.
"au revoir"

[stamicrach]

I'M not surprised.

Everyday we are fed more and more BS and outright lies by our government.

Bait and switch has been rampant in the last four years by politicians and appointees (sneaked in by Obama while Congress is not in session) to various committees.

It seems we have uncovered who our worst enemy is, and found out that it is our government.!!

535 politicians and Obama; all playing games with our lives and the entire time driving the US further towards extinction.

There are many animal organizations working their butts off to save the animals.

Seems to me we now need organizations to save the people of the US.!!

[HobartSchmenge]

The McDonald's Filet O'Fish has been mislabeled as food for decades.

[vernique3]

corporate greed is the motivator in a capitalistic democracy. Yet, half of the people vote for the party that represents corporate power. We deserve the type of government we have.

[iCi2i_befree]

This is so common place & I want to know what took so long for this type of investigation. White fish mascarding as scallops & crab in the grocery store is when I first heard about it a few years ago and people seemed to know this was going on regulalry. One would have to be a fool to believe the stores displaying these unfrozen morsels in their fresh food sections aren't somehow aware of it. Funny thing is, I'm alergic to shell fish like scallops, clams & lobster but can eat all I want if I buy the "mislabeled" stuff that's actually a fish made to look like the real thing. Yep, the gullable consumer thinks we're getting such a great deal when the real thing should cost 3 - 5x the junk fish imposters.

[Nate650]

Hence why it's good to shop at trusted stores such as Whole Foods.

[Famo4]

I see this all over the town I live in, in Washington State. I've commercial fished and bought commercial fish in Alaska for a decade, so I've seen every species of fish caught and sold in Alaska for retail in the lower 48. Each time I go into a grocery store I make a point to swing by the fresh fish department to look at the quality of fish that's being sold and what name they are marketing it under. Every single time there is a species that is being marketed under a different name and usually that name has absolutely nothing to do with the type of fish they're selling. And the quality? Incredability horrible! They claim to have a QC person but time and time again, the quality of this fish is well below the industry standard. I've talked to the person behind the counter about both of these issues but it seems that they're only there for a paycheck, they could care less because it continues to happen. I would love to give the store names but instead, I'll give you a hint. It's Costco, Haggens & Cost Cutter.

[citizenwarren]

We do not eat horsemeat in America, yet, our tax dollars are being used to fund FDA inspections of horsemeat sent to other countries. We need to tell the government to, once again, defund the inspection of horsemeat, and use those funds where they are truly needed--for the inspection of the foods (like fish) that we do consume in this country.

[nazcap]

A new study, perhaps, but not the first, and not the first to reach these conclusions. I've been reading variations of the same story for a few years. Let the buyer beware, for if you think the USDA will be more stringent in inspections in the age of austerity, it's time to wake up.