NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement has expanded the use of rapid DNA testing to detect fraudulent seafood labeling at U.S. ports. The latest deployment took place in Long Beach, California, following a successful pilot in Newark, New Jersey.
Using the portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) device, officers identified false labeling of imported tuna species – including bigeye, yellowfin, bluefin, and albacore – as well as shark species covered under international trade protections. Fraudulent labeling not only misleads consumers but also puts legitimate U.S. seafood businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
“The new device is proving to be a valuable tool that helps officers examine more shipments in less time, with rapid results that also help clear the way for legal seafood to reach the market counter,” said Bryan Landry, assistant special agent in charge. The tool uses DNA fingerprinting to confirm species identity with roughly 93 percent accuracy.
During the Long Beach trial, the device also resolved a potential Endangered Species Act violation by confirming that imported filets were misidentified but not actually endangered – preventing costly delays for the importer.
NOAA reports that scientists have streamlined the testing process and are now incorporating AI to help enforcement officers interpret results more efficiently. The technology is being applied to support the president’s Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, which prioritizes strong enforcement to keep illegal and mislabeled imports from undercutting U.S. markets.
Motives for mislabeling can include:
- Hiding illegally sourced or harvested species
- Passing off protected or endangered species as legal substitutes
- Evading trade sanctions or treaties
- Marketing lower-value species as premium products
The July 2025 operation at the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles International Airport also served as a training exercise for officers and agents. Eight shipments of fresh and frozen shark and tuna were inspected, with results supporting further investigations into seafood fraud and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The enforcement action was supported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida International University, and NOAA Fisheries’ forensic science teams.
“These devices help us protect U.S. consumers, support honest seafood businesses, and combat IUU fishing, which remains a top priority,” said James Binniker, Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.