Journal of Fisheries and Life Sciences

Author(s): Vivek Rohidas Vartak, N. Rajendran and W.S. Lakra

Abstract: Mislabeling of seafood is a widely spread problem on extreme geographical scale. Efforts have been made by various countries for seafood labeling so as to support sustainable fisheries and reduce seafood fraud. During this endeavor accurate species nomenclature had been ignored and seafood had been labeled with common terminologies like fish, crab and shrimps, despite the availability of more number of species with varied taste less than one particular seafood group. In this situation, chances of mislabeling and seafood fraud are more. In order to overcome this problem, DNA barcode assisted seafood labels can be used. The process is simple, low cost and lead to seafood labels that are species specific with accuracy supported at molecular scale. The application of such labels would surely reduce the chances of mislabeling and seafood fraud. The universal initiatives with collaborations of policy makers from different countries are required to standardize this process.