Financial And Ecological Implications Of Global Seafood Mislabeling

Stawitz, Christine C.; Siple, Margaret C.; Munsch, Stuart H.; Lee, Qi; Derby, Safs Research

doi:10.1111/conl.12328

i

Financial And Ecological Implications Of Global Seafood Mislabeling

Supporting Files

2017
By Stawitz, Christine C. ; Siple, Margaret C. ; Munsch, Stuart H. ; ...

Details

Alternative Title:

Financial and Ecological Implications of Global Seafood Mislabeling
Journal Title:

Conservation Letters
Personal Author:

Stawitz, Christine C. ; Siple, Margaret C. ; Munsch, Stuart H. ; Lee, Qi ; Derby, Safs Research
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; Sea Grant
Sea Grant Program:

WASHU (Washington Sea Grant)
Description:

Consumers and regulators influence conservation of marine finfish by controlling harvest demand and availability. Consumer power to choose sustainably-harvested species is threatened by seafood mislabeling, which may be a product of fraud or human error. Here we examined the prevalence of mislabeling, and its financial and ecological implications, by compiling and analyzing an international dataset of DNA barcoding studies of marine finfish (n = 43). On average, DNA-identified species sold were less expensive (-2.98% ex-vessel price) and more sustainable (+3.88% IUCN status) than species listed on their label; thus, mislabeling had a net positive impact on the conservation status of sold species. However, ecological impacts of some frequently mislabeled taxa were potentially severe, suggesting eco-conscious consumers may want to avoid certain genera. Mislabeling may be reduced by increasing traceability and identification of seafoods, particularly at points in the chain-of-custody beyond ports, where the majority of mislabeling occurred.
Keywords:

Bar Coding Business Logistics Conservation Biology DNA Error Evolution (Biology) Fisheries Fishes Fish Tagging Markets Revealed Preference Theory Seafood Substitution Sustainable Aquaculture Tracers (Biology) Bar Coding Business Logistics Conservation Biology Fish Tagging Revealed Preference Theory Sustainable Aquaculture
Source:

Conservation Letters
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12328
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA14OAR4170200
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

PMC
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:c58f31bae426bd85f9c3caa909dcc59070984555f2ba137adb02cee02121c95e485ec18942e7d113da630708068ad044386ad68152dc6575818c348b1fd037ef
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/26031/noaa_26031_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 341.62 KB ]

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