Fish Fraud: Seafood Costumers Get Bait and Switch

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Researchers say seafood consumers get bait-and-switch from restaurants

Odds are, the red snapper on the menu isn’t red snapper. It’s probably tilapia, posing as red snapper. The crab probably isn’t crab, either.

And a restaurant may say it serves white tuna but not one sample recently tested in a study of seafood fraud in South Florida restaurants was white tuna. It was escolar — a fish banned in Japan and Italy and assigned warnings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because natural toxins in the fish can cause diarrhea. White tuna is only found in a can. Fresh or frozen tuna can only be marketed as “tuna” or “albacore tuna,” according to FDA guildelines.

This i know it happens quite a bit down here in South Florida, I'm so glad I don't eat meat. better check with that waiter as to what fish you are getting to determine whether or not it's full of mercury.

Peace

Kevinman

Interesting. I hope I remember this the next time I'm ordering fish.

tybird

Apparently anything that now has bag/take limits, such as red snapper or shark, might be in line for a bait and switch.....I believe that if you pay attention to what is fished sustainably and what is farm you can avoid such fraud. My step-daughter has an ap for this.

I do know that most warm water crab populations have been over-harvested.....so crab claws tend to be a seasonable delicacy....and expensive.

peacefrompaul

Good thing I never eat fish

polaris_x

this is primarily at sushi restaurants ... it's pretty well known that what they call snapper is really tilapia and what they call crab is that fake pollock stuff ... if anything - the price of it should clue you in its not real crab ...

Jeanwah

polaris_x wrote:

this is primarily at sushi restaurants ... it's pretty well known that what they call snapper is really tilapia and what they call crab is that fake pollock stuff ... if anything - the price of it should clue you in its not real crab ...

My nephew doesn't eat sushi because where he used to live (Lawerence, KS) they had good restaurants but he always questioned how they had fresh fish when KS is no where near the ocean. I always think of him when I eat sushi because he brings up a good point.

polaris_x

Jeanwah wrote:

My nephew doesn't eat sushi because where he used to live (Lawerence, KS) they had good restaurants but he always questioned how they had fresh fish when KS is no where near the ocean. I always think of him when I eat sushi because he brings up a good point.

sushi grade fish has to be flash frozen unless you just catch the thing ... that is what most sushi restaurants use on the coast or not on the coast ... most of the fish like salmon is all farmed ...