While there is no official estimate of how prevalent fraud is in the $195 billion global fisheries and aquaculture sector, empirical studies suggest that 20 per cent of the trade may be subject to some type of fraud, according to FAO.
Menu of misinformation
Some studies suggest that up to 30 per cent of seafood products may be mislabelled in restaurants, with the report citing cases from around the world, from ceviche stands in Latin America and seafood eateries in China to canned tuna products in the European Union.
While as much as one third of aquatic products sold in the United States may not conform to package descriptions, less than one per cent of imports are tested, the report warned.
What drives fish fraud?
Economic incentives are the most widespread driver of fish fraud.
Selling Atlantic salmon, almost all of which is farmed, as Pacific salmon, most of which is wild caught, delivers a nearly $10 benefit per kilogramme.
Some fraud occurs to mask the geographic provenance of a product or to suppress evidence of above-quota landings, which may pose risks to the sustainability of fishery stocks.
Finding fraud
Fish fraud is defined in the report as “a deliberate practice intended to deceive others” and can pose risks to biodiversity, human health or economic systems, according to Food fraud in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, produced by FAO through cooperation between its Fisheries and Aquaculture Division and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and…
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What is the greatest online Fraud threat? In 2026 Impersonation Fraud fueled by Generative AI is the greatest online threat: Fraudsters use Deepfakes (cloned voices and hyper-realistic video) to mimic family, executives, or trusted brands. These high-fidelity deceptions bypass traditional “red flags” like poor grammar, making them nearly impossible to detect. By exploiting human trust and psychological pressure—often via “Business Email Compromise” (BEC) or urgent family distress calls—criminals manipulate victims into making irreversible cryptocurrency or wire transfers. In a world where you can no longer trust your eyes or ears, manual verification is your only true defense.
