Researchers have routinely found fraud to prevalent among fishmongers throughout the United States. One of the most recent and comprehensive studies found that one in three pieces of fish, on average, is mislabeled.
But the question remains: how do consumer protection groups and businesses go about eliminating fraud and ensuring some level of transparency? One way, researchers at the University of South Florida believe, is making double-checking the identity of a piece of fish a more affordable and accessible process.
That's why scientists there are developing a handheld device (roughly the size of two smartphones) that can differentiate between varieties of fish species.
Confirming the identity of a fish isn't overly complex from a scientific standpoint, but the process is fairly involved -- it's time consuming and expensive to collect samples and send them back to a lab where DNA can be analyzed and compared against a database. But USF researchers are working on condensing the process of measuring and identifying RNA samples collected from fish.
RNA are chains of nucleotides unique to the molecular makeup of a species of living organisms. The process that allows scientists to measure (or perform an assay) samples' RNA is called real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (RT-NASBA).
"Using the hand-held device, a complete field assay, potentially carried out at the point of purchase, requires fewer than 45 minutes for completion and can be performed entirely outside of the lab," John Paul, one of the device's developers and biological oceanographer at the USF College of Marine Science, explained in a recent press release. "Some past assay procedures could take hours, even days to identify samples."
Right now, the device created by Paul and his colleagues is designed to detect species of fish that are legally allowed to be sold as "grouper." Grouper, like tuna and snapper, are one of the most commonly mislabeled types of fish. They're ideal candidates for fraud because they're highly sought after and easily imitated using cheaper types of white fish.
Paul says other devices are already being built to detect salmon and other kinds of fish.
"The sky's the limit for other species if you have the time to develop the assays and tests," Paul told the Tampa Bay Times.
Properly labeling fish isn't simply about protecting consumers, but also protecting businesses by ensuring fair play. A business charging a fair price for properly labeled fish is at a competitive disadvantage if their rival fishmonger can get away with charging half the price for a piece of faux grouper.
A study detailing the fish-identifying device was published online last week in the journal Food Control.