December 12, 2012 — Those people who have seafood allergies in the New York City area could be facing an increased risk, according to a study by conservation organization Oceana.
The report says that about 40 percent of the fish sold in New York is misidentified, and replaced with a cheaper variety of seafood in many cases.
The New York Times reported that DNA analysis of about 150 samples of fresh seafood from 81 locations in New York found that 39 percent were labeled incorrectly.
The report showed that 13 types of fish, including tilefish, which contains a high level of mercury, were misidentified as red snapper. The Food and Drug Administration advises pregnant women and young children not to eat tilefish.
And white tuna was often substituted with snake mackerel, or escolar, 94 percent of the time. Escolar has a toxin that may cause severe diarrhea after eating a few ounces.