The last thing we need to do, after a long day at work, is think about whether the "halibut" we purchased is really halibut.     

Should we really be buying fish that is mislabeled? Should we, as consumers, really be okay with false advertisement? Should customers know, just by looking, the difference between wild-caught and farm-raised fish?

Consumers should not spend a penny on anything involving false advertisement. Consumers should always know what they are buying and should be able to trust that what they are buying is,  IN FACT,  the right species, from any restaurant or market they buy it from. As consumers, we have that right!

So what's the big deal with fish sold under a different name? Well, for one, it's often just a form of swindling – a cheap fish like tilapia sold as red snapper, for example.

Fish fraud can also put consumers' health at risk, such as when species like king mackerel, which is high in mercury, or escolar, which contains a naturally occurring toxin that can cause gastrointestinal problems, are marketed as grouper and white tuna, respectively.

In fact, fish fraud is especially dangerous for individuals with certain types of allergies. Studies have shown that fish allergies are much more specific than previously assumed. Someone who can safely eat Atlantic cod may experience a severe allergic reaction when eating Nile perch.

In addition, fish fraud allows illegally caught fish to be laundered into the legal seafood trade.

When food is mislabeled, many who have allergies can become very ill. Usually  when one is allergic to fish, the symptoms can range from mild to severe. You can get a reaction within minutes or even two hours later. The symptoms include stomach cramps, indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, and nausea.  

"Food allergies are evidently much more specific than previously assumed. More precise tests may allow allergy sufferers more freedom of food choice in the future. This is the result of studies carried out by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the University of Leipzig and the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen," according to the Helmholtz Centre For Environmental Research - UFZ, in Different food fish can cause different allergies, ScienceDaily.

"Very often patients are only allergic to certain species but are able to eat other seafood species without problems."- Seafood Allergy, Allergy Clinic.

Food mislabeling is not a joke, and many are starting to stand up for their rights, as consumers, when buying mislabeled products.