Fisheries Department Clarifies Canned Fish Tests Show Tilapia, Not Black Chin
The Fisheries Department defended its testing methods, confirming that canned fish samples contained tilapia rather than black chin fish, using internationally recognized morphological analysis techniques approved by major trading partners.
On July 16, Thitiporn Luangprasertsri, director-general of the Fisheries Department, addressed public concerns about fish species identification in canned products. The department emphasized that its testing follows international laboratory standards using morphology identification and taxonomy methods—the same techniques applied to seafood exports and approved by trading partners including the European Union, United States, and South Korea.
The Food and Drug Administration sent three sets of samples for testing on May 5. The Fisheries Department's aquatic taxonomy specialists examined them and submitted results starting May 6. Set 1 contained 10 cans labeled as mackerel in tomato sauce (Bonus brand), but morphological analysis identified them all as sardines in tomato sauce. Sets 2 and 3 were unlabeled cans—4 and 6 respectively—both identified as tilapia in tomato sauce.
Thitiporn explained that tilapia and black chin fish can be distinguished using morphological principles because they possess clearly different characteristics under taxonomic classification, such as differing numbers of scale rows above the lateral line. DNA sequencing represents an alternative scientific technique but requires complex molecular preparation, lengthy processing, and high costs before comparison with genetic databases like GenBank. Both methods are scientifically recognized and internationally standard.
Differing results from other agencies may reflect samples from different production batches or manufacturing runs, as factories source raw materials from multiple suppliers per batch. Environmental factors affecting samples can also produce different species identifications. Quality control and ingredient traceability remain the responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration under the Food Act of 1979.
The Fisheries Department noted it enforces regulations controlling black chin fish possession and movement under a 2567 (2024) Agricultural Ministry announcement. The department welcomes concerns about black chin fish proliferation and remains open to information from the public, academics, and other agencies, assessing population prevalence in natural waterways through representative sampling across river systems.
