Marketplace shrimp mislabeling in North Carolina.

Hannah M Austin,Blaire Steinwand,Heather M Patterson,Brittany Cooper,John F Bruno,Emilie Richards,Erin T Spencer,Morgan L Korzik,Caroline Jasperse,Grace Tan,F Joel Fodrie

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229512

Abstract

Seafood mislabeling occurs in a wide range of seafood products worldwide, resulting in public distrust, economic fraud, and health risks for consumers. We quantified the extent of shrimp mislabeling in coastal and inland North Carolina. We used standard DNA barcoding procedures to determine the species identity of 106 shrimp sold as "local" by 60 vendors across North Carolina. Thirty-four percent of the purchased shrimp was mislabeled, and surprisingly the percentage did not differ significantly between coastal and inland counties. One third of product incorrectly marketed as "local" was in fact whiteleg shrimp: an imported and globally farmed species native to the eastern Pacific, not found in North Carolina waters. In addition to the negative ecosystem consequences of shrimp farming (e.g., the loss of mangrove forests and the coastal buffering they provide), North Carolina fishers-as with local fishers elsewhere-are negatively impacted when vendors label farmed, frozen, and imported shrimp as local, fresh, and wild-caught.

Highlights

IntroductionShrimp represents a quarter of America’s annual per capita seafood consumption and the average American eats about five pounds of shrimp each year [1]
Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States
Of the 60 sampled vendors across North Carolina, 35% substituted imported shrimp for local shrimp at least once. This statewide mislabeling frequency is consistent with the 35% shrimp mislabeling frequency nationwide [18]

Summary

Introduction

Shrimp represents a quarter of America’s annual per capita seafood consumption and the average American eats about five pounds of shrimp each year [1]. This results in over one billion pounds of shrimp consumed annually in the United States alone, 80% of which is imported [1]. In 2017, commercial fishers caught 13.9 million pounds of shrimp, which is 82.9% greater than the previous five year average [3]. Despite a 9% annual decline in commercial landings for all species in North Carolina in 2017, the value of local shrimp was at an all-time high, suggesting sustained demand.

Methods

Results

Conclusion