Dive Summary:
- Oceana tested the DNA of 142 seafood samples from 81 retail locations and found that 56 of those samples were mislabeled, a whopping 39%.
- Studies like this have been done in the past with similar results, however there never seems to be much action taken to correct these issues.
- The biggest culprits were small grocery stores and the most counterfeited fish was the red snapper.
From the article:
58% of the retail outlets sampled sold mislabeled fish (three in five). Small markets had much higher fraud (40 percent) than national chain grocery stores (12 percent). 100% of the 16 sushi venues tested sold mislabeled fish. Tilefish, on the FDA's do-not-eat list because of its high mercury content, was substituted for red snapper and halibut in one small market. 94% of the 'white tuna' was not tuna at all, but escolar, a snake mackerel that has a toxin with purgative effects for people who eat more than a small amount of the fish. 13 different types of fish were sold as 'red snapper,' including tilapia, white bass, goldbanded jobfish, tilefish, porgy/seabream, ocean perch and other less valuable snappers.