VANCOUVER

How to ensure the fish you're buying is what's advertised

Ross McLaughlin and Sandra Hermiston CTV Vancouver
Published Thursday, June 21, 2018 6:00AM PDT Last Updated Thursday, June 21, 2018 6:55PM PDT

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From the water to the processing plant to the store, you trust the labelling you see on the fish you’re purchasing.

“You know seafood is one of those items that is quite complicated,” said Clair Li with Ocean Wise.

Exclusive CTV DNA testing found that to be true, with four out of the 10 samples tested inaccurately labelled. While some fish mislabelling is intentional for financial gain, it can also be unintentional human error.

"There is definitely a level of trust that needs to be put in place in the supply chain and there are companies that do break that trust for economic gains," said George Hera with 7 Seas Seafood.

"Nobody knows what a fish looks like when they see a fillet in the grocery store," said one consumer to Ross McLaughlin.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do to even the odds, and ensure you’re getting exactly what you want. There are many organizations that hold some suppliers and restaurants to a higher standard like the Ocean Wise symbol. It’s an assurance of sustainability and trust.

One thing to add a layer of consumer confidence to your purchase is to look for the Ocean Wise symbol, which ensures sustainability.

“Seafood is one of those items that is quite complicated,” said Clair Li with Ocean Wise, "I think retailers take a lot of pride in what they offer consumers and as for the Ocean Wise retailers, they definitely want to do the best that they can for consumers.”

You should also look for the blue Marine Stewardship Council symbol for wild fish.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council stamp ensures trust for farmed fish.

A stamp from Naturland also ensures the product has met certain standards.

In spite of best efforts by retailers, fish can be mislabelled along the supply chain as it crosses international boundaries.

But mislabelling happens. A large Oceana study found 74 per cent of fish samples from sushi restaurants were mislabelled, followed by restaurants samples at 38 per cent and 18 per cent for grocery stores.

Scroll down or click here to view the results of our DNA testing of fish bought at local grocery stores.

“If it's mahi mahi, I want to make sure it's really the main thing and not something else it's disguised as," said another consumer.

Buying whole fish is your best bet. Once it's cut up, things get trickier. Especially with some white fish.

"They all kind of look the same when they're in fillet form," said Li.

The most commonly mislabelled fish include snapper, grouper and cod. The least mislabelled fish was sockeye salmon.

Another quirk in existing labelling rules makes fish difficult to track.

"When you see ‘product of’ that's actually the country of last transformation. So fish that's fished in Canadian waters, processed in China, breaded in the U.S. will say product of the U.S." explained Julia Levin, Oceana Canada spokesperson.

When in doubt, ask the supplier.

"I think it's fair for people to ask their retailer where their fish is coming from, what species it is, ask about fishing method. These are things that retailers should really know and if they're having issues answering these questions, then you know it might be a sign that all is not right," said Li.

Another piece of advice: buy fish on a seasonal basis, especially salmon.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency sets the rules and enforcement. It regulates suppliers and fish retailers, but not restaurants. However, if they see a persistent problem with mislabelling in restaurants they can step in and work with provincial regulators to ensure everyone is doing what they're supposed to.

CTV's DNA testing results

Click the table to view a larger version

Looking for the individual test results for Vancouver sushi restaurants? PDFs are embedded at the bottom of this article.

Tap here for a look at the other samples we tested during our Something Fishy? series. Below are the full results of the samples from local grocery stores.