Development of Simple, Rapid, Immunoassays and DNA Based Confirmatory Tests for Marine Fish Speciation

The last three years have seen a steady decline in the quantity of fish landed by the UK fleet, however the 748 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish landed in 2000 were still worth about 550 million. The demersal fish accounted for 49% of the catch in terms of quantity and 59% in value. Cod, haddock, whiting and plaice together accounted for more than half of the demersal species landed in the UK. However it is the quantity of cod and haddock landed that has seen the greatest decline. This shortage of supplies and correspondingly higher prices provides the potential for substitution of the traditionally popular varieties with cheaper, lower quality alternatives.
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In most cases it is relatively easy to identify whole fish and to distinguish some fish portions, however once processed further any distinguishing morphological features are no longer recognisable and it is impossible to confidently determine the species used. Therefore there is a need for the development and application of analytical methods to detect mislabelling and provide the consumer with accurate information about the nature and quality of seafood products offered for sale.