Abstract
Seafood mislabeling occurs when a market label is inaccurate, primarily in terms of species identity, but also regarding weight, geographic origin, or other characteristics. This widespread problem allows cheaper or illegally-caught species to be marketed as species desirable to consumers. Previous studies have identified red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) as one of the most frequently mislabeled seafood species in the United States. To quantify how common mislabeling of red snapper is across North Carolina, the Seafood Forensics class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used DNA barcoding to analyze samples sold as “red snapper” from restaurants, seafood markets, and grocery stores purchased in ten counties. Of 43 samples successfully sequenced and identified, 90.7% were mislabeled. Only one grocery store chain (of four chains tested) accurately labeled red snapper. The mislabeling rate for restaurants and seafood markets was 100%. Vermilion snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens) and tilapia (Oreochromis aureus and O. niloticus) were the species most frequently substituted for red snapper (13 of 39 mislabeled samples for both taxa, or 26 of 39 mislabeled total). This study builds on previous mislabeling research by collecting samples of a specific species in a confined geographic region, allowing local vendors and policy makers to better understand the scope of red snapper mislabeling in North Carolina. This methodology is also a model for other academic institutions to engage undergraduate researchers in mislabeling data collection, sample processing, and analysis.
Highlights
Seafood mislabeling is a widespread problem and can occur at any step in the seafood supply chain
We considered the one sample identified as southern red snapper (Lutjanus purpureus) to be correctly labeled given convincing evidence that L. campechanus and L. purpureus comprise a single species of red snapper in the western Atlantic (Gomes, Sampaio & Schneider, 2012)
All seafood market samples were mislabeled (n = 12) and all were identified as vermilion snapper
Summary
Seafood mislabeling is a widespread problem and can occur at any step in the seafood supply chain. Another study of almost 200 ‘‘lemon shark’’ fillets in New Zealand found 40% were illegally-harvested species such as hammerheads, school sharks, and bronze whalers (Smith & Benson, 2001) Another recent study of fish and chips vendors in the United Kingdom found the majority of samples were spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), a species of shark whose population is endangered in the Northeast Atlantic (Hobbs et al, 2019). If a species appears to be readily available in the market, it creates the perception of an abundant stock, regardless of the true stock status (Marko et al, 2004) This is important for species like red snapper, whose stock is still below target population levels (SEDAR, 2016). If a consumer continues to buy a mislabeled species in the market, this could increase the demand for that species overall, which in turn could incentivize illegal harvest and continued mislabeling (Cox et al, 2012)
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