Africa: A new report warns that fish fraud extends to a fifth of global catches

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Fish fraud is widespread in markets, grocery stores and restaurants around the world, but a growing number of innovative tools are changing the trend, according to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Tuesday.

While there is no official estimate of how widespread fraud is in the $195 billion global fisheries and aquaculture sector, empirical studies suggest that 20 percent of trade may be vulnerable to some type of fraud, according to FAO.

List of misinformation

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Some studies indicate that up to 30% of seafood products may be mislabeled in restaurantswith the report citing cases from around the world, from ceviche stands in Latin America and seafood restaurants in China to canned tuna products in the European Union.

The report warned that while up to a third of aquatic products sold in the United States may not meet package descriptions, less than one percent of imports are tested.

What drives fish fraud?

Economic incentives are the most prevalent motivation for fish fraud.

Selling Atlantic salmon, almost all of which is farmed, and Pacific salmon, most of which are wild-caught, yields a benefit of approximately $10 per kilogram.

Some fraud occurs to conceal the geographical source of the product or to hide evidence of fishing operations exceeding quotas, which may pose risks to the sustainability of fish stocks.

Find fraud

Fish fraud is defined in the report as “a deliberate practice intended to deceive others.” They can pose risks to biodiversity, human health or economic systemsAccording to Food fraud in the fisheries and aquaculture sectorproduced by FAO through cooperation between the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division and the Joint Office of FAO/International Atomic Energy Agency Center for Nuclear Technologies in Food and Agriculture.

The main categories of fish fraud are:

  • Adding water to unprocessed fish products to enhance weight and price
  • Adulteration (adding coloring to make tuna look fresh)
  • Counterfeiting (imitation of shrimp made with starch-based compounds)
  • Simulation (wrapping surimi to look like crab meat)
  • Diversion (distribution of legitimate products outside intended markets)
  • Misbranding (e.g. incorrect claims about sustainability)
  • Overreach (including poaching)
  • Species substitution (sell tilapia as red snapper)
  • Manipulation and mislabeling (including origins and even expiration dates)
  • Simple theft

At the same time, the dangers of adulteration in some seafood are clear to human health, as some fish pose risks when eaten raw, while re-freezing seafood increases the risk of bacterial growth.

Catching suspicious businesses

Global scale of fish consumption – Targeting more than 12,000 types of seafood The diversity of types of fraud and the lack of uniform regulatory or legal definitions makes it difficult to evaluate global estimates, but there are new ways to address this scourge.

Advanced laboratory tests can be effective in identifying substances, but access to these methods is limited.

At the same time, the report shows that portable X-ray fluorescence and machine learning models are innovations that can help reduce fraud and make regulation more enforceable.

To crack down on fish fraud, the new report calls for:

  • Harmonized labeling requirements
  • Mandatory inclusion of scientific names where possible
  • Better tracking systems

Add flag to tackle box

Given its complexity, identifying the crime is not easy, but the report goes into great detail about how scientific advances can contribute to tackling fraud, including:

  • The standard method for determining whether a seafood product has been frozen and how many times it has been frozen has so far proven elusive.But differences in the fatty acid composition of wild and farmed fish can be used to detect fraud
  • Carbon and nitrogen ratios to determine the geographic origin of major commercial fish species

Network of criminals

Prevention and enforcement is critical To reduce and ultimately eliminate adulteration in fish and all types of food, according to the report, which reviewed coordinated efforts to address cases in Argentina, Italy and the United States.