Dear Future/Next President,

Over the years, fish substitution has slowly become more and more of a problem. This is causing health risks, money scams, and the endangerment of of other fish. I think we should provide some sort of fish checking system that will solve all 3 problems when importing fish.

Fish substitution is a problem mainly in Oceania where seafood of different species is sold for a higher price. If you are a consumer, the there is a 1 out of 4 chance that the fish you are eating is a different species. People see this as an opportunity to gain more money easily and not have to check the species of a fish. As this becomes more of a problem, more money is becoming scammed.

The endangerment of species is one of the main problems created from fish substitution. This could be the reason many sea animals become extinct in the future. For example, whales are an endangered species that are being sold as “fatty tuna”. Another example is a species called Largetooth Sawfish, and they are being sold as shark meat. Both of these species show that people will sell other types of fish even if they could become extinct just for money.

Another problem is the risk of your money and health. Some fish that are being substituted are either very cheap or dangerous. The Asian Catfish for example, is a common fish that can be found near the continent of Asia. Another example is given by the Blue Tilefish, a fish that is marked not to eat by the FDA (Food Drug Administration). We’re losing money from the Asian countries but we’re not doing anything about it. If this keeps growing as a problem, consumers could actually lose lives eating the wrong fish.

These reasons are from fish/seafood substitution and may look like a small problem to most citizens of the United States but is constantly growing. By making some sort of fish regulation or system that will be able to make sure we aren’t being scammed by other countries. Maybe it can provide more jobs in the United States by having people check the fish in addition. I’d appreciate if you would consider looking into this problem and come up with a solutions to end this problem.

Sincerely,

Dan T.