Stop Fish Swaps

"Florida's fishermen have built a reputation for harvesting quality seafood. We do not want unscrupulous merchants to tarnish that hard-earned image." That from Charles H. Bronson, Florida's Agriculture Commissioner. Mislabeling or misrepresenting fish is a national problem and a fraud on consumers. Under Florida law the practice is also unlawful.

Among the abuses is the substitution of other fish (often catfish) for grouper. Restaurants that substitute one kind of fish for another and don't inform consumers will now face increased fines of from $250 to $500 from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which is required to inspect Florida restaurants twice each year. This seems like just a drop in the bucket to us, but for good restaurants, their reputation is their business, and being charged with a violation, even without a fine, would likely be a deterrent enough. What concerns us is the restaurant owner who just doesn't care. For that kind of owner a $250 to $500 fine will be thought of as just the cost of doing business.

Now Florida has created a website to help consumers combat -- and report -- mislabeled seafood. The website also contains information about the seafood industry, seafood festivals, seafood recipes, seafood cooking tips arranged by species, and interesting links to other seafood related sites. We've added a link, called "Florida Seafood," so you can check it out. Let us know what you think.