A Fish Story

Genetic identification may sort honest from fishy catches

You only thought you were eating flounder!

Tons of catfish from China pile up in Los Angeles warehouses until a Gainesville food-testing laboratory decides what they are.

A New York DNA lab that mainly analyzes research mice is now testing restaurant fish for newspaper and television stations all over the country. About 60 percent of the samples turn out to be fakes.

A Canadian university is building a genetic database of every animal species on earth. Eventually, restaurant diners might insert a sliver of today's "fresh catch" into a handheld device that can tell if it's grouper or $2-a-pound catfish.

These days, the seafood business has moved well beyond fried vs. broiled. Fortunes can rise or fall on proper identification of what people are eating.

Genetic testing, which zeros in on a minute strip of DNA, has become the gold standard for separating honesty and deception.

"It's the most important thing to come along in a long time," said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, a trade group long frustrated by seafood substitution.

Until recently, a cooked piece of fish, slathered in sauce, could not be traced. Genetic testing can lift the veil, Jones said.

"It tells the public that there is a problem beyond anyone's belief."

Sneaking in catfish

For years, buffet lines and Sunday socials have exploited the inexpensive virtues of Southern catfish.