There’s about a 50% chance the fish you paid for is not the fish you got

From The Guardian 

In one comparison of sales of fish labelled “snapper” by fishmongers, supermarkets and restaurants in Canada, the US, the UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, researchers found mislabelling in about 40% of fish tested. The UK and Canada had the highest rates of mislabelling in that study, at 55%, followed by the US at 38%.

In one 2018 study, nearly 70% of samples from across the UK sold as snapper were a different fish, from an astounding 38 different species, including many reef‐dwelling species that are probably threatened by habitat degradation and overfishing.

Still other samples proved to be not entirely of aquatic species, with prawn balls sold in Singapore frequently found to contain pork and not a trace of prawn.

A 2020 study showed that between 8m and 14m tons of fish are caught illegally every year, the same weight of 15 million to 20 million cows being stolen every year.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/15/revealed-seafood-happening-on-a-vast-global-scale?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1

Link at Maggie’s Farm.

There is no international fish patrol, and if there were one it would not be trusted. If you watch Animal Planet’s Lone Star Law, you have seen how small time commercial fisherman ignore laws on size, weight and endangered lists.

Can anything be done? Consumers should know what they’re looking for and can carefully inspect fish before buying.