SUSTAINABILITY logos on fish may not be entirely trustworthy. Some fish that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have certified as sustainable come from unsustainable fisheries or are the wrong species altogether, according to a study of Patagonian toothfish (), sold as 鈥淐hilean sea bass鈥�.
Only one fishery, , is certified as sustainably fished by the , so all Chilean sea bass (pictured) bearing the MSC logo ought to come from South Georgia.
They don鈥檛, though. of Clemson University in South Carolina and colleagues bought 36 certified fish from shops across the US and checked their DNA. Three came from entirely different species and five carried genetic markers not found in the South Georgia population (, ). 鈥淎 significant proportion is coming from some other place,鈥� says Marko.
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Rob Ogden of the in Edinburgh, UK, says the sample size is small for such a strong claim. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 dispute their data, but I鈥檓 concerned with the strength with which it鈥檚 presented.鈥�
The MSC is taking the finding seriously. 鈥淲e are very concerned about the results,鈥� says Amy Jackson, MSC鈥檚 deputy standards director. The group has launched an investigation. Whoever is responsible could have their certification withdrawn.
