A new technology developed by South Australian scientists is tracking the origins of seafood in a bid to combat fraudulent labelling and improve sustainability.

The fishing industry globally has been tackling the issue of fraudulent labelling, where poorer quality seafood from locations with limited sustainable regulations are incorrectly labelled and sold.

Now the industry has another tool in its arsenal to identify which waters seafood are likely to have come from.

University of South Australia marine ecologist Zoe Doubleday and her team have developed technology to find the source of seafood by testing bones and shells of marine creatures for oxygen isotopes.

Oxygen isotopes in samples are compared in a database to locate the origins of seafood by ocean temperature.

“We can track the provenance of a greater spectrum of marine life, or a greater spectrum of seafood species, then we can help detect seafood fraud and keep illegal fishing under control,” Dr Doubleday said.

“It’s very good at tracking animals from different latitudes, so say collected from the tropics and southern Australia.

“The next challenge for researchers is to work out how far east or west a fish is from, allowing regulators — and customers — to pinpoint the exact origin of that catch.”

The test can determine whether an animal has come from cool or warm waters.

This method is also universal, which means it can test for many marine species.

Fraudulent labelling costs the industry

Dr Doubleday said fraudulent labelling has many consequences such as unsustainable fishing practices, human health concerns and devaluation of the industry.

“Seafood fraud happens when consumers or businesses are deliberately deceived about the products they’re buying — so the label isn’t what it says it is,” Dr Doubleday said.

Ian Mitchell, manager of South Australia Fishermans Co-Operative Limited, said the fishing industry is on a “downward spiral” since the Australian government tightened quotas on primary species last year.

“We lost a lot of good fishermen, they couldn’t afford to stay within the industry” he said.

“I don’t think imported seafood is bad.

“We’re quite happy to let all of our customers know where it was caught, when it was caught, who caught it. And they label that in the shop and it makes it more open to the consumers that we’re not trying to hide it.”

Mr Mitchell was optimistic about the technology Dr Doubleday and her team are developing.

“It would grow the confidence within the whole industry,” he said.

“The more information we give to the consumer, the better it is for the consumer.”