Last week, the European Commission published a report on how new technologies can tackle fishing fraud.

Molecular technologies – based on genetics, genomics, chemistry and forensics –can provide clear answers to questions such as “what species does this fish product come from, where was this fish caught, is it wild or farmed?”.

In their report, the Commission’s Joint Research Centre advocates a coherent and practical EU-wide approach towards making new molecular technologies available to European control and enforcement authorities, the Commission writes in a press release.

As if they knew the Commission’s report were coming, the New York Times published a very readable science article on gene tests: Tests Reveal Mislabeling of Fish.

Axel Naver

The Commission Study: Deterring illegal activities in the fisheries sector

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