October 11, 2024
'Seafood fraud' widespread in Canada, says ocean advocacy group
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
More than one-third of fish samples in Montreal were entirely different species than advertised.
More than one-third of fish samples in Montreal were entirely different species than advertised.

A recent investigation, which tested seafood bought in Montreal, found more than half of the samples were mislabelled, adding to mounting evidence that “Canada has a widespread and unchecked seafood fraud problem,” according to an ocean conservation group.

The report, published today, is the most up-to-date look at what actually ends up on Canadians’ dinner plates when they buy fish. 

Out of a total of 472 seafood samples the group has tested in the country between 2017 and 2019, 47 per cent were found to have been mislabelled.

Montreal is the sixth and latest city where advocacy group Oceana Canada has investigated fish mislabelling. This past July, the charity took 90 seafood samples from 50 grocery stores and restaurants across Montreal and sent them off to a lab for DNA testing. 

It discovered that 61 per cent were mislabelled in some way, and 34 per cent were an entirely different species than advertised. 

Not so wild salmon, snapper not as advertised 

“In most cases, we see a more expensive fish substituted with a less expensive species,” said Sayara Thurston, seafood fraud campaigner with Oceana Canada. 

She recommends consumers always do their research, especially with these types of fish: 

[…]

Loading

Visited 62 times, 1 visit(s) today