“Sushi-gate 2008”: High School students apply DNA barcoding

to fish sold in their NYC neighborhood,

discover one-quarter is mislabeled

Research report by students Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss

published in Pacific Fishing September 2008

Can DNA name this fish?

The New York Times August 21, 2008, page 1

Chosun Ilbo (Korean Daily News)circulation 2.2 million

“Sushi-gate” draws wide interest

CBS Early Show August 23, 2008

Barcode of Life Database (BOLD): www.barcodinglife.org

BOLD project “Fish Market Survey”

Analyzing Sushi-gate fish samples

DNA sequencing at University of Guelph

1. Collect specimens 2. Prepare samples 3. Record data 4. Send for analysis

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” DNA ID: Nile PerchRed Snapper

to scale

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 marketsand 2 of 3 restaurants

Range map: FishBase Range map: FishBase

FishBase: D Flescher FishBase: John Casselman

The Trinity SchoolKate StoeckleLouisa Strauss

The Rockefeller UniversityJesse AusubelMark Stoeckle

University of GuelphRobert HannerEugene Wong

Fish Barcode of Life Initiative

Unexplored territory?

DNAHouse: 2009 student project exploring urban environment with DNA barcoding

? ?

Acknowledgments