This article is in response to emails from readers of the column on the shrimp fishery. In human's the majority of our sensory input comes from our stereo vision. So, we tend to believe that what we see is the truth. If you've ever looked at one of Esher's paintings http://www.mcescher.com/ you'll know that this isn't always true. It's the way our brain interprets the data from our eyes that causes the problem. Esher intentionally used how we interpret information in his paintings.

Our interpretation of information applies to many other area including the labeling of seafood. For example, if we see a label on a package of shrimp in our favorite grocery store with a sticker on it stating “packaged in the US” our first reaction is that it was caught in the United States. No that's not necessarily true. The shrimp could have been farm raised outside the US and repacked in the US. Is this a lie? Well, maybe if you think of a lie by omission as opposed to inclusion. If you're concerned about whether your seafood is farm raised or wild caught, its country of origin and it's real name you'll have to go realtor by realtor to be relatively sure. If your seafood is processed like fish sticks and shrimp dip it is not subject to certain US labeling requirements. There is a zoo of information out there with both federal and state labeling regulations. The you'd like to know more about what the label on your seafood means checkout this link: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-258.

In Europe they have adopted a more uniform seafood labeling which helps take some of the guesswork out of buying seafood and apparently includes processed seafood as well.

“Recently the European Union (EU) adopted regulations requiring labeling of all fisheries and aquaculture products. This labeling regulation is intended to strengthen traceability - the ability to trace fisheries products from sea to market and allow consumers to choose their seafood according to specific criteria that might be of concern to them. All fisheries products on sale at retailers will have to be labeled with the following information: the commercial name of the species, the production method (wild or farmed) and the area where the fish was caught.” These regulations took effect January 2002.”

It's still up to the buyer to be aware of other concerns such as if a particular species is currently over-fished or if the species is a predator that lives for years and might contain significant levels of mercury or other heavy metals.

Seafood labeling in the US is still fraught with information holes and the potential for intentional and unintentionally mislabeling. As an example, 'Krab' dip has no crab in it – read the label. Let the buyer beware is still the watch word for all consumers of seafood.

Think Global – Act Local!