According to data from the UN News Service, approximately 20 percent of global trade in fisheries is associated with fraud.
This level of deception is significantly higher than in other sectors, such as meat, fruit, or vegetable trade, largely due to the wide variety of products offered.
Store shelves can feature over 12,000 types of fish and seafood, creating favorable conditions for deception and manipulation by fraudsters.
In a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fraud in fisheries is defined as "a deliberate practice aimed at misleading," and includes several categories. Here are some of them:
- falsification — adding colorants to enhance appearance, such as tuna or salmon;
- counterfeiting — creating "shrimp" from starch compounds;
- imitation — selling fish paste as "crab sticks";
- redirecting — moving legally produced products to other markets;
- false positioning — claims of "sustainability" or incorrectly stated origin and shelf life;
- species substitution — for example, selling tilapia as red snapper.
As FAO experts emphasize, such fraudulent practices can negatively impact both human health and the environment and economy.
The health risks are evident: some types of fish can be dangerous when raw, and refreezing seafood promotes bacterial growth.
It is important to note that fraud in fisheries affects all continents and countries — from Latin America to Asia. In the U.S., nearly one-third of all fish products are sold with incorrect or misleading information on the packaging, with only about 1% of such products undergoing inspection.
Restaurants are also not immune to labeling issues — up to 30% of products received by establishments have incorrect information about their composition.
The FAO report suggests tightening labeling requirements for fish and seafood, including mandatory indication of scientific names where possible, and improving monitoring systems.
Additionally, the organization reminds that modern technologies, including nuclear methods in some cases, can be used to verify fish and seafood, control freezing, and confirm authenticity and origin.
