In a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fraudulent practices in the fishing industry are described as "deliberate actions aimed at misinformation," including various categories of fraud. Here are some of them:
- falsification, for example, using dyes to enhance the appearance of tuna or salmon;
- counterfeiting, as in the case of "shrimp" made from starch;
- imitation, for example, selling fish paste under the brand "crab sticks";
- redirecting, when legal products are sold outside their target markets;
- false positioning or labeling, when fraudsters mislead buyers about the sustainability and origin of the product;
- species substitution, for example, when tilapia is sold as red snapper.
Health Risks
The FAO warns that fraud in the fish and seafood sector can threaten human health, ecosystems, and economic systems.A Global Problem
According to the organization, no country or continent is protected from fishing fraud, from Latin America to Asia. In the U.S., about one-third of all fish products are sold with incorrect or incomplete information on the packaging, and only about 1% of such products undergo verification.Restaurants are also not exempt: up to 30% of goods supplied to establishments are mislabelled.
Easy Profits in Fishing
For example, selling farmed Atlantic salmon as Pacific salmon can yield nearly $10 extra profit per kilogram. Sea bass, which is sold in Italy as a local product, costs two to three times more than the same fish farmed in Greece or Turkey, and even more if it is passed off as wild-caught.Adding water to fish products to increase weight and price is another simple way to raise their value.
Measures to Combat Fraud in the Fishing Sector
The FAO report suggests tightening labeling requirements for fish and seafood, including mandatory indication of scientific names where possible, and improving monitoring systems.The organization also reminds that modern technologies, including nuclear methods in some cases, can be used to verify fish products, including for freezing, authenticity, or origin.
Photo on the homepage is illustrative: © FAO/K. Arrigo.
