Conservation organization Oceana released the results of a nationwide test on seafood sold in the U.S. with surprising results: a third of all seafood sold in the country is mislabeled.
Red snapper is the most mislabeled fish, the report concludes, with 87 percent of fish sold as red snapper actually being a different fish.
Tuna followed red snapper with 59 percent of samples taken identified as something else.
The study used DNA analysis to determine the authenticity of the fish. Oceana claims the study is one of the largest seafood fraud investigations the world has seen, according to a report from CBS News.
Cheaper, less desirable and more readily available species of fish are commonly disguised as fish such as red snapper, wild salmon and Atlantic cod, Oceana's website states.
The group analyzed 1,215 seafood samples from 674 restaurants, sushi bars and grocery stores outlets 2010 and 2012. Because Oceana could not pinpoint where in the seafood supply chain the fraud was taking place, it did not publish the names of the outlets where the seafood fraud was happening.
The Oceana website states that seafood fraud can threaten human health when one fish is swapped for another that may contain toxins or allergens that may make people sick. Mislabeling also makes it difficult for consumers to make ecologically friendly choices, as they frequently don't really know what they are buying, according to Oceana. Only seven of 120 sample of what was sold as red snapper was actually red snapper. The other 113 samples were another fish, Oceana reports.
"Our findings demonstrate that a comprehensive and transparent traceability system - one that tracks fish from boat to plate - must be established at the national level," Oceana said. "At the same time, increased inspection and testing of our seafood, specifically for mislabeling, and stronger federal and state enforcement of existing laws combatting fraud are needed to reverse these disturbing trends. 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."
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