An estimated 30 percent of seafood sold in the U.S. is fraudulently mislabeled. This practice costs the seafood industry and consumers and estimated $20-25 billion annually.

Recently, scientists at South Florida’s College of Marine Science have taken a small step toward reducing that fraud. The researchers have developed a handheld scanner that tests the RNA of fish to ensure that purchasers are getting what they pay for.

The scanner specifically tests for grouper, frequently called sea bass, one of the most frequently mislabeled seafood species. Quotas are set on commercial grouper catches, limiting the number of fish that U.S. fishermen can bring to market. Because of this, demand for the fish far exceeds the domestic supply.

The amount of fish that is imported, combined with the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows 64 species of fish to be labeled as “grouper” creates ample opportunity for fraud.

“The demand for grouper in the U.S. is so strong that it cannot be met by the harvesting of domestic species alone. In 2012, over 4,000 metric tons of foreign grouper, worth $33.5 million, were imported into the U.S. This mass quantity of imported grouper creates opportunities for fraud, which can lead consumers to pay more for lesser valued seafood species and may allow importers to avoid paying tariffs,” said Robert Ulrich in a statement.

Ulrich is a College of Marine Science graduate the lead author of a paper published in a newly-published issue of the journal Food Control.

The handheld device gives the question “Is it grouper?” a thumbs up or down quickly, inexpensively and portably.

“Using the hand-held device, a complete field assay, potentially carried out at the point of purchase, requires fewer than 45 minutes for completion and can be performed entirely outside of the lab. Some past assay procedures could take hours, even days to identify samples,” said John Paul, Distinguished University Professor at the USF College of Marine Science and co-author of the paper.

The researchers believe that the portable version of the technology is accurate enough to detect grouper substitution even on cooked fish which has been masked with sauces or breading.

The GrouperChek device is being commercialized by a University of South Florida spinoff company called PureMolecular, LLC and the technology is being developed further to check for other seafood species.

“Federal and State governments are behind the need to protect U.S. seafood consumers. A bill on seafood safety was recently introduced in the U.S. Congress and work on similar bills is in process in Maryland and Massachusetts. In addition, a multi-agency Presidential Task Force was established in 2014 and has made recommendations to the White House regarding the development of forensics technology for seafood identification,” said Paul.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has extensive information on fish fraud for consumers at the agency’s fishwatch.gov website.

“When you purchase seafood, you expect that it will be what the label says it is. Unfortunately, studies and investigations are finding that this is not always the case—various types of “seafood fraud” are being committed along the seafood supply chain,” reads the NOAA site.

Environmental groups, including Oceana and the Safina Center are also doing what they can to combat fish fraud because of its impacts on overfishing and the incentives it provides for poaching.