How would you feel if you found out the red snapper on your
plate wasn’t red snapper at all, but instead something illegally
fished or potentially unhealthy? A new Oceana study found that
31% of seafood we tested in South Florida is mislabeled, keeping
consumers in the dark about what they’re really eating. Our
campaigners used DNA testing on seafood samples from grocery
stores, restaurants, and sushi venues in the Miami/Fort
Lauderdale and Palm Beach areas. We’ve conducted studies like
this in other cities, and the results from Los Angeles and
Boston were even more striking—55% of seafood in L.A. was
mislabeled and 48% in Boston. But just because the numbers are
lower in South Florida doesn’t mean that seafood fraud is any
more acceptable. Some of the fish being served under a different
name pose risks to health and sustainability. The study found
that king mackerel, a high mercury fish with a health warning
for sensitive groups, was being marketed as ‘grouper.’ Sushi
restaurants were the biggest offenders,