The global fisheries and aquaculture sector operates at a scale that makes it structurally vulnerable to fraud. Aquatic product output exceeded 185 million tonnes in 2022, with trade spanning more than 230 countries and territories and a combined value of USD 195 billion. The breadth of species in commerce, the length and opacity of international value chains, and the multiplicity of inspection and control authorities create conditions in which fraud can persist relatively easily.

FAO’s recent technical paper Food fraud in the fisheries and aquaculture sector documents the scope of the problem and the forms it takes: species substitution, mislabeling, adulteration, counterfeiting, and false claims relating to origin or production method. Up to 20 percent of fisheries and aquaculture products may be mislabeled globally, with fraud particularly prevalent in processed products, restaurants, and catering services, where visual identification is difficult, and species identity can be concealed.

The consequences extend well beyond consumer deception. Food fraud can have food safety implications and expose consumers to allergens, toxins, contaminants and pathogens. Fraudulent claims about origin, species, or production method distort markets and disadvantage legitimate operators. Fraud often occurs because of price differences between species.

As FAO’s primary market intelligence and analysis platform for fisheries and aquaculture, FAO GLOBEFISH is convening this conference session to examine how market demand, price incentives, and supply-chain complexity interact to enable fraudulent practices, and what governments, industry, retailers, researchers, and standard-setting bodies are doing to address them.