"Though Labeled ‘Wild,’ That Serving of Salmon May Be Farmed or ‘Faux’"

"The wild-caught salmon sold by restaurants and fishmongers is frequently farm-raised fish that has been mislabeled, said a report released Wednesday.

Using DNA analysis, the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana studied 82 samples and found that two-thirds of the salmon appearing on restaurant menus were incorrectly labeled. Twenty percent of salmon from groceries was incorrectly identified, the group found.

Over all, 43 percent of the salmon the group collected — in New York, Washington, Chicago and Virginia, from upscale and takeout restaurants, and from various neighborhood and chain groceries — was misidentified. The researchers reported that the most common mislabeling in their survey involved Atlantic salmon being sold as 'wild salmon.' The group also found instances of chum salmon being advertised as costlier king salmon, and of rainbow trout sold as wild salmon."

Nicholas St. Fleur reports for the New York Times October 28, 2015.