<p>The recent article by NY Times reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal is downright scary, especially if one has allergies to specific types of fish. It’s fearful to read about people with freshwater fish allergies [like catfish] getting sick after eating a meal labeled as grouper at a restaurant. Apparently catfish from Vietnam is often mislabled. Among other reasons, this is why I prefer to purchase the whole carcass and clean it myself, because I’ve educated myself fairly well about commercial fish. I almost never buy filets at the supermarket chains. Even Whole Foods Market can’t be relied upon to properly label its fresh fish filets. My only objection to the Times story is the criticism of fish from Thailand and Vietnam. As far as I know, those countries don’t deserve to be included in the ‘bad conduct’ of Chinese fish farms and off-shore operators. However, I do question why the U.S. needs to import the vast majority of its edible fish supply.</p>
<p>My sister worked for the US Dept of Fish and Wildlife for many years. She warned me about Chilean Sea Bass. Apparently, most fish labeled Chilean Sea Bass is not Chilean Sea Bass. The real thing is very expensive.</p>
<p>Fish labelling is a long-standing issue in the food industry. A species that goes by one name in one market, goes by another in another market. Sometimes several species are traditionally sold under the same name in one market, but under different names in other markets. If you have any fish-related dietary issues or allergies, buy the whole fish, and cook it yourself, or only eat fish at places where you can know exactly what your are getting because you know that the person who buys and cooks that fish is reliable.</p>
<p>Prawns from India, illegally produced, and filled with cancer-causing chemicals, are shipped to a large packaging plant in the Philippines - USDA approved! but the entire Fililpino prawn industry was destroyed by the Norwalk virus in 1994 - and comes to the U.S., never tested, in packages labeled "Packed in the Philippines’, with a USDA stamp on it.</p>
<p>The real Chilean sea bass is more oily while the Corvina sea bass is firm but not oily and a lot cheaper. My biggest worry is that I pay big bucks for wild salmon but getting farmed salmon instead. How can anybody tell the difference?</p>
<p>I have a really good grocery store near me not to mention I could go to Fishermans terminal & buy from the boats-
[Loki</a> Fish Co. - Product](<a href=“http://www.lokifish.com/product.html]Loki”>http://www.lokifish.com/product.html)
I can usually tell the difference- the feel & texture of farmed fish is quite a bit different than wild- but if you can’t tell the difference- then you might as well not worry about it. 
There is even an app to help you choose seafood.
[Seafood</a> Watch App from the Monterey Bay Aquarium](<a href=“http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_iPhone.aspx]Seafood”>http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_iPhone.aspx)</p>
<p>Did you know that Chilean sea bass is actually called Patagonian toothfish? I can see why they renamed it – who would order something on a menu called toothfish? It’s a pretty ugly fish, too!
[Yanqui</a> Mexican patagonian-toothfish](<a href=“http://www.seanrooks.com/yanquimexican/?attachment_id=986]Yanqui”>http://www.seanrooks.com/yanquimexican/?attachment_id=986)</p>
<p>“How can anybody tell the difference?”</p>
<p>The pale orange meat with the little white stripes is farmed.</p>
<p>“if you can’t tell the difference- then you might as well not worry about it.”</p>
<p>If your concern is environmental rather than culinary, you still need to worry about it.</p>
<p>I’m thankful my husband fishes for salmon, so we know that it’s the real thing and not farmed.</p>