Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
That Off-Season "Wild Salmon" Is Probably Farm-Raised & Dyed Pink
By
Nell Casey
Published Oct 28, 2015
Modified Oct 28, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published Oct 28, 2015
Modified Oct 28, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If news that certain types of meat would probably give you cancer had you eyeing the seafood isle, you're not alone. But it's a new day and there's a new study set to ruin everything! This time, it's all about salmon.
Oceana, who've previously ruined cheap sushi and made us depressed about dolphins, released their latest study that reveals widespread fraud and mislabeling of salmon products in the US.
During the off-season of 2013-2014, the ocean advocacy group collected and tested 82 samples from stores and restaurants, discovering that nearly half had been mislabeled in some way. Through DNA testing, the group confirmed that 43% of samples were either farmed Atlantic salmon being touted as wild salmon or labels misidentifying the species of salmon. In New York City, 37% of samples were mislabeled in some way, in Chicago 38% and in Washington DC a whopping 45%.
So why do we care? In addition to consumers being ripped off when buying the mislabeled fish, fisherman also feel the burn when salmon prices drop from cheap farmed product flushing the market. Farmed salmon is also kinda yucky, as farms feed the animals dye to attain that pink color and fish in cramped quarters can easily spread disease.
The group concluded that consumers were better off buying salmon when the wild stuff is in season—mostly mid to late summer—when fraud rates dropped. Or buy from larger grocery stores who require greater transparency on their products. Restaurants were also a huge culprit, accounting for 38% of mislabeled fish versus 7% at grocery stores. Restaurants are misleading us too? Psh.
Tagged
mislabeling
oceana
salmon
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .