Transcript Document

“Sushi-gate 2008”: High School students apply DNA barcoding
to fish sold in their NYC neighborhood,
discover one-quarter is mislabeled
Can DNA name this fish?
Research report by students
Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss
published in Pacific Fishing September 2008
“Sushi-gate” draws wide interest
The New York Times August 21, 2008, page 1
Chosun Ilbo (Korean Daily News)
circulation 2.2 million
CBS Early Show August 23, 2008
Analyzing Sushi-gate fish samples

1. Collect specimens
DNA sequencing at

2. Prepare samples
 University of Guelph
3. Record data
4. Send for analysis
Barcode of Life Database (BOLD): www.barcodinglife.org


BOLD project “Fish Market Survey”
5. Upload specimen, sequence data
on BOLD
5. Search databases for identical or
closely-related sequences
6. Learn more on FishBase, other
Mislabelings were as more expensive or more desirable fish
Red Snapper
“Red Snapper”
DNA ID: Nile Perch
to scale
FishBase: D Flescher
FishBase: John Casselman
Range map: FishBase
Range map: FishBase
Among 60 items tested:
-Nile Perch (Africa), Lavender Jobfish (SE Asia), Slender Pinjalo (SE Asia),
and Acadian Redfish (N Atlantic) sold as “Red Snapper”
-Mozambique Tilapia sold as “White Tuna”
-Smelt Roe sold as “Flying Fish Roe”
-Caribbean Spotted Goatfish sold as “Mediterranean Red Mullet”
-White Bass (farmed freshwater fish) sold as “Sea Bass”
Mislabeled items were sold in 6 of 10 grocery stores/fish markets
and 2 of 3 restaurants
DNAHouse: 2009 student project exploring urban environment with DNA barcoding
?
?
Unexplored territory?
Acknowledgments
The Trinity School
Kate Stoeckle
Louisa Strauss
The Rockefeller University
Jesse Ausubel
Mark Stoeckle
University of Guelph
Robert Hanner
Eugene Wong
Fish Barcode of Life Initiative