Mislabelled seafood may lead to more sustainable consumption

Seafood mislabelling can actually lead consumers to eat more sustainably, concluded scientists from the University of Washington (UW) broadly examining the ecological and financial impacts of the issue. These scientists found that the substituted fish is often more plentiful and of a better conservation status than the fish on the label or in the restaurant menu. Official estimates have shown that up to 30 per cent of the seafood served in restaurants and sold in supermarkets is mislabelled due to fraud, human error or marketing ploys combined with an often multicountry traverse from boat to restaurant. “One of the motivations and hopes for this study is that we can help inform people who are trying to exert their consumer power to shift seafood markets toward carrying more sustainable options,” said co-author Christine Stawitz, a UW doctoral student in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management program.