The Seafood List FDAs Guide to 
 
Determine Acceptable Seafood Names: 
Guidance for Industry 
 
Additional copies are available from: 
Office of Food Safety 
Division of Seafood Safety HFS-325 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 
Food and Drug Administration 
5001 Campus Drive 
College Park, MD 20740 
(Tel) 240-402-2300 
https://www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances  
You may submit either electronic or written comments on this guidance at any time.  Submit 
electronic comments on the guidance to https://www.regulations.gov.  Submit written comments 
to the Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers 
Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.  All comments should be identified with docket number 
FDA-1994-D-0221 (formerly 94D-0265) and with the title of the guidance document. 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 
 
 
August 2023 
 
 
 
This is a revision to this guidance, which was originally issued in September 1993.  Revisions 
are noted by date at the end of the guidance. 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Table of Contents 
 
I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3 
II. Background ................................................................................................................................ 3 
III. Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 4 
IV. The Seafood List ....................................................................................................................... 4 
V. Understanding and Using The Seafood List ............................................................................... 4 
VI. Principles for Determining Acceptable Names ........................................................................ 6 
Principle 1: .................................................................................................................................. 6 
Principle 2: .................................................................................................................................. 7 
Principle 3: .................................................................................................................................. 8 
Principle 4: .................................................................................................................................. 8 
Principle 5: .................................................................................................................................. 9 
Principle 6: .................................................................................................................................. 9 
VII. References ............................................................................................................................. 11 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
1 
Guidance for Industry  
The Seafood List 
FDAs Guide to Determine Acceptable 
Seafood Names  
 
 
This guidance represents the current thinking of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) 
on this topic.  It does not establish any rights for any person and is not binding on FDA or the 
public.  You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements of the applicable 
statutes and regulations.  To discuss an alternative approach, contact the FDA staff responsible 
for this guidance at the phone number listed on the title page.  
 
I. Introduction  
This guidance is intended to provide guidance to industry about what FDA considers to be 
acceptable market and common names for seafood sold in the United States and to help 
manufacturers in labeling seafood products.  This guidance provides more information on the 
acceptable market name, common name, scientific name, and vernacular name of seafood 
species sold in the United States.  These names are listed in FDAs guide entitled The Seafood 
List. 
 
FDAs guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable 
responsibilities.  Instead, guidances describe our current thinking on a topic and should be 
viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited.  
The use of the word should in FDA guidance documents means that something is suggested or 
recommended, but not required. 
II. Background 
Through the years, the Federal Government has worked to provide consistent and scientifically 
sound recommendations to industry and consumers about acceptable market names for seafood 
sold in interstate commerce.  This advice was consolidated in 1988 when FDA published The 
 
1 This guidance has been prepared by the Office of Food Safetys Division of Seafood Safety in the Center for Food 
Safety and Applied Nutrition at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 
 
3 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Fish List in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service to provide a source of names 
that would facilitate consistency and order in the U.S. marketplace and reduce confusion among 
consumers.  Although The Fish List had significant success in achieving its goal, its usefulness 
was limited because it did not include invertebrate species.  In 1993, The Fish List was revised to 
include the acceptable market names for domestic and imported invertebrate species sold in 
interstate commerce, and renamed The Seafood List.  The Seafood List provides information to 
help industry properly label seafood and products containing seafood ingredients as required in 
the statement of identity (21 CFR 101.3) and in the ingredient list (21 CFR 101.4)).   
III. Discussion 
The use of an acceptable seafood name is essential in the identification of a seafood product 
because of the exceptional number and variety of species for seafood products.  Very few species 
have just one nationally recognized, common or usual name that allows consumers to 
unambiguously identify a species in the marketplace.  Typically, even the most popular and 
widely consumed species have acceptable names in The Seafood List that are shared with other 
species.  For example, salmon, bass, tuna, cod, halibut, and snapper are names 
generally used to identify particular species of fish, but these are also names that are sometimes 
used to represent a group of finfish species.  When used as an acceptable name, the group name 
may properly encompass and adequately identify for consumers any member of the group, but it 
does not provide enough information for a consumer to identify the specific species, if a 
consumer desires that level of specificity.  The common name as used by accredited scientific 
fishery resources generally provides that level of specificity and usually is also an acceptable 
seafood name.  
IV. The Seafood List 
When determining how to appropriately label seafood, one should check The Seafood List. 
V. Understanding and Using The Seafood List 
 
Species that are included on The Seafood List are those that FDA has determined are sold in 
interstate commerce or are likely to be sold in interstate commerce and are not prohibited by law 
from sale in interstate commerce.  An acceptable seafood name may be: (1) a common or usual 
name established by either a history of common usage in the U.S. or by statute or regulation; (2) 
a common name as used by accredited scientific fishery resources (e.g., American Fisheries 
Society Publications, Integrated Taxonomic Information System, FishBase, SeaLifeBase, Food 
and Agriculture Organization) and recognized within commerce in the U.S., except when the 
name is prohibited by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) or a regulation; or 
(3) a name specifically coined as the name for a species (e.g., basa is the acceptable market 
name coined for Pangasius bocourti).  Acceptable names for seafood species are listed in the 
Acceptable Market Name and Common Name columns of The Seafood List, except when 
4 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
the Common Name column in The Seafood List indicates that the listed common name is 
prohibited by the FD&C Act or regulation.  FDA recognizes these names as suitable for the 
required label statement of identity (21 CFR 101.3(b)(1)) and the required ingredient list (21 
CFR 101.4). 
 
The column headings in The Seafood List identify four types of names for each species (i.e., 
acceptable market name, common name, scientific name, and vernacular name(s)).  Vernacular 
name(s) are listed in the far-right column under Vernacular Name(s) in The Seafood List to 
assist with cross-referencing to an acceptable name.  Vernacular names are generally not 
acceptable names for a species.  A description of the four types of names in The Seafood List for 
each species is provided below: 
 
  Acceptable Market Name: An acceptable market name represents the identity of the 
species to U.S. consumers and is not confusingly similar to the name of another species 
nor is otherwise misleading.  An acceptable market name may be: (1) a common or 
usual name established by either a history of common usage in the U.S. or by statute or 
regulation; (2) the common name; or (3) more rarely, a name specifically coined as a 
name for a species (e.g., basa is the name coined for Pangasius bocourti).  The 
acceptable market names of the species that are required by regulation (e.g., Canned tuna 
which is required by 21 CFR 161.190)  are marked with an asterisk (*) in the 
Acceptable Market Name column of The Seafood List.  The specific regulation is 
noted to provide additional information (accessed from the Scientific Name hyperlink). 
When a different name from the Acceptable Market Name column is provided in the 
Common Name column of The Seafood List,  the acceptable market name marked with 
an asterisk (*) must be used. 
  Common Name: The common name is the English version of the name established and 
commonly used by accredited scientific fishery resources (e.g., American Fisheries 
Society Publications, Integrated Taxonomic Information System, FishBase, SeaLifeBase, 
Food and Agriculture Organization, etc.) and recognized within commerce in the U.S. to 
describe a specific species, and is distinct from the scientific name.  In some cases, the 
acceptable market name and the common name are the same.  Almost all species have 
been assigned a unique common name.  The use of the unique common name for species 
has the advantage of limiting confusion about species identity in the marketplace.  For 
this reason, FDA generally recommends use of the common name as an acceptable name 
unless a common or usual name has been established by statutory law or regulation.  
When a common name is listed in parenthesis (e.g., Mongrel Daces), then that common 
name applies to all species in the entire genera (e.g., Rhinichthys spp.) as indicated in the 
Scientific Name Column of The Seafood List.  There are some common names that are 
prohibited by law and cannot be used as acceptable names.  For example, the term 
catfish is not an acceptable name for a non-Ictaluridae member of the Siluriformes 
(catfish) order (see section 403(t) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 343(t)).  The common 
name of a species that is prohibited by law is marked with a dagger () symbol in The 
5 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Seafood List, and the specific law is noted on the detail page (accessed from the 
Scientific Name hyperlink) to provide additional information.  
  Scientific Name: The scientific name is the Latin name for the genus and species of a 
fish, established by fisheries taxonomists.  The scientific names are included in The 
Seafood List to permit exact species identification.  However, scientific names are not, by 
themselves, acceptable market names, although they may be used to supplement an 
acceptable market name in labeling.  We have attempted to list valid scientific names.  
However, some synonyms are listed because of name changes based on advancing 
knowledge and views of taxonomic specialists.  
  Vernacular Name(s): A vernacular name is a commonly recognized local or regional 
name for a species.  Some species may be recognized by a different vernacular name in 
another locale or region.  Vernacular names generally are not acceptable names and their 
use as such may result in misbranding.  Vernacular names are provided in The Seafood 
List only to assist with cross-referencing to an acceptable market name.  Vernacular 
names (when they exist in The Seafood List) are displayed in red under the column with 
the heading Vernacular Name(s) on the far right.  There is also a bullet in The Seafood 
List stating that vernacular names generally are not acceptable names.  
VI. Principles for Determining Acceptable Names 
FDA generally evaluates whether a name is an acceptable name based on the following 
principles in order: 
 
Principle 1: 
A common or usual name required by regulation or law is the required name of the food 
(see statement of identity requirement in 21 CFR 101.3(b)(1)). 
 
Common or usual names required by regulation or law are: 
  Pacific whiting (21 CFR 102.46), 
  Bonito (21 CFR 102.47), 
  Crabmeat (21 CFR 102.50), 
  Greenland turbot (21 CFR 102.57), 
  Canned oysters (21 CFR 161.145), 
  Canned Pacific salmon (21 CFR 161.170), 
  Canned tuna (21 CFR 161.190),  
  Catfish (Section 403(t) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 343(t)), and 
  Kanpachi (Section 774, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328)).  
 
In the Acceptable Market Name column of The Seafood List, the common or usual names for a 
seafood species that have been established by regulation are marked with an asterisk (*).  The 
6 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
common names in the Common Name column of The Seafood List that are prohibited by law 
and cannot be used as acceptable market names are marked with a dagger () (e.g., Walking 
Clarias Fish is an acceptable market name for Clarias batrachus; however, Walking Catfish 
() is not an acceptable name.). 
 
Principle 2: 
A name is not false or misleading. 
  
A food is deemed to be misbranded under section 403(a)(1) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 
343(a)(1)) if ...its labeling is false or misleading in any particular...  Some examples of how a 
name may be false or misleading to a consumer are:  
  The name is not the name required by statutory law or regulation. 
  The name is the same as the name of another species or is confusingly similar to the 
name of another species and it is not reasonably encompassed within a group of species 
so named.  
  The name implies a unique geographical origin that is misleading. 
  The name is a fanciful or coined name that inaccurately characterizes the quality, value, 
or other feature of the species. 
 
The use of a false or misleading name may prevent correct species identification and thereby 
affect the ability of processors and consumers to make accurate assessments of the potential 
safety hazards associated with seafood.  Hazards, such as allergenic proteins, natural marine 
toxins, and scombrotoxin formation, are associated with some species but not others, presenting 
potential food safety risks if the food is not accurately labeled.  Misbranding may also result in 
economic fraud, because of the difference in the market value of different but similar species of 
fish.  Geographical designations used as part of a name must truthfully represent the 
geographical origin of the species (21 CFR 101.18(c)) or otherwise conform to 21 CFR 
101.18(c)(4).  Geographical designations are sometimes part of a species common or usual 
name (e.g., Atlantic salmon).  FDA recognizes that these descriptors and those used in some 
common names can be truthful and meaningful parts of a food's statement of identity.  Other uses 
of a geographical descriptor, for example as part of a coined or fanciful name where the 
descriptor does not accurately describe the geographical extent of the source of the species, may 
be misleading and are not recommended.  The global spread of aquaculture may further 
confound the use of place of origin labeling, because a species with natural origins in one region 
of the world may be aquacultured in another region (e.g., Ictalurus punctatus is native to North 
America, but is now aquacultured in China  (Channel catfish - Cultured Aquatic Species 
(fao.org)).  Thus, references used as part of an acceptable name to source waters or place of 
geographical origin should be used only to describe a species from an exclusive geographical 
source or fishery, consistent with 21 CFR 101.18(c). 
 
FDA generally does not recommend the use of the common name of one parent as an acceptable 
name for a hybrid species (e.g., Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass) X Morone chrysops (White 
Bass) hybrids should not be marketed solely as Striped Bass).  If there is no common name 
7 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
developed by a scientific group for a specific hybrid, then the family group name (e.g., Bass) 
should be used as an acceptable name or a name can be coined. 
 
Principle 3: 
A name that has been recognized nationally in the U.S. and commonly used by consumers 
to identify a species may be an acceptable name. 
 
Our regulations describe the general principles for establishing an acceptable name, which is 
based on the common or usual name of a food or a coined term (see 21 CFR 102.5(a)).  Some of 
the most frequently consumed species in The Seafood List have acceptable market names that 
are widely recognized by U.S. consumers as referring to a group of similar, related species.  For 
example, the names tuna, salmon, and grouper can each be used to refer to a variety of 
species of finfish.  Individual species are at times differentiated by acceptable names that are 
recognized nationally and commonly used by consumers.  Yellowfin tuna, sockeye salmon, and 
coho salmon are examples of differentiated marketed names.  The use of a single unique name 
for any food is the optimum situation for an orderly market.  FDA recognizes, however, that 
there are instances where more than one acceptable name for a species is recognized in the 
marketplace.  Moreover, these names may have been used interchangeably in the U.S. without 
causing confusion or misrepresentation of the true character and identity of the species involved.  
For example, monkfish and goosefish are acceptable names that may be used 
interchangeably for various Lophius spp.  Conversely, as noted above, several different species 
in The Seafood List may share an acceptable market name without causing apparent market 
conflict (e.g., the acceptable market name grouper may be used for several Epinephelus spp.).  
To the extent possible, acceptable market names should provide a clear distinction between 
species that have different qualities and value to consumers.  For example, pollock and cod 
are distinct names for distinct species and consumers generally associate higher quality and value 
with cod.  FDA also recommends that the acceptable market name allow for the selection by 
consumers from among species with similar names.  Acceptable names that express species 
qualities can be achieved by using the listed common name, as opposed to the listed acceptable 
market name, except if a dagger exists for the common name (e.g., the common name red 
snapper for Lutjanus campechanus as opposed to the acceptable market name snapper 
because red snapper is more highly valued than other snappers (Lutjanus spp.) (FDA 
Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 540.475 Snapper - Labeling (CPG 7108.21)). 
 
Principle 4:   
The common name is generally an acceptable name, if it is not misleading in the U.S. 
 
The name commonly used to identify the same fish may vary from region to region.  A 
vernacular name (local or regional name) for a species, even though well established in that area, 
may not be an acceptable name for use in interstate commerce.  In the broader marketplace, a 
vernacular name may be the same as, or confusingly similar to the name used to identify a 
different species in another region.  Conflicts with names used in the marketplace can sometimes 
be avoided by using species-specific common names that are found in accredited scientific 
8 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
resources.  Because of their specificity, common names allow consumers to more readily 
differentiate between similar species.  FDA generally regards these common names as acceptable 
names, provided they are not false or misleading (Principle 2) or prohibited by law.  A common 
name of a species that is prohibited by law is marked with a dagger () in The Seafood List, and 
the specific law is noted on the detail page (accessed from the Scientific Name hyperlink) to 
provide additional information. 
 
Principle 5: 
An established international name (e.g., established by the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)) or a name that is widely recognized and 
commonly used in the country of origin may be an acceptable name. 
 
When a species is first introduced into the U.S. market, whether as a new import or a new hybrid, 
a market name normally is not available.  In these instances, an internationally recognized name, 
such as one recognized by FAO, may be an acceptable name.  For example, when a species of 
crab was first introduced in the U.S. market, Principles l and 3 could not be used to develop an 
acceptable name.  The FAO-recognized name purple stone crab was identified as a common 
name, and FDA concluded that this name would be an acceptable name.  Alternatively, a name 
that is widely recognized and commonly used by consumers in the country of origin may be an 
acceptable name.  However, neither an internationally recognized name nor the name most 
commonly used in other countries will be an acceptable name if it is false or misleading 
(Principle 2). 
 
Principle 6: 
A coined name may be an acceptable name. 
 
When other naming conventions are not available, a coined or fanciful name may be an 
acceptable name, provided the name is not false or misleading (Principle 2).  Coined names are 
useful when a species has an otherwise unappealing common name (e.g., the coined name 
orange roughy is more appealing than the common name slime head), or when the use of a 
name is prohibited by law.  For example, the name basa catfish was used for Pangasius 
bocourti before the passage of section 403(t) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 343(t)).  Under section 
403(t) of the FD&C Act, a food is deemed misbranded if it purports to be or is represented as 
catfish, unless it is fish classified within the family Ictaluridae.  Thus, the name basa was 
coined for Pangansius bocourti.  If an acceptable coined or fanciful name does not already exist, 
one may coin a new descriptive name provided that it is not false or misleading (Principle 2). 
9 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
10 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Text Description for the Flowchart above: 
The flowchart is in the form of a decision tree.  It provides a step-by-step procedure that is used 
to determine if a name is an acceptable name to use in interstate commerce.  Each step in the 
decision tree provides a response to a question and leads to the next step until a final answer is 
obtained.  The decision tree is derived from the information in the above principles in this 
guidance document.   
 
VII. References 
The following references marked with an asterisk (*) are on display at the Dockets Management 
Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 
20852, 240-402-7500 and are available for viewing by interested persons between 9 a.m. and 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday; they also are available electronically at 
https://www.regulations.gov.  References without asterisks are not on public display at 
https://www.regulations.gov because they have copyright restriction.  Some may be available at 
the website address, if listed.  References without asterisks are available for viewing only at the 
Dockets Management Staff.  FDA has verified the website addresses, as of the date this 
document publishes in the Federal Register, but websites are subject to change over time. 
 
1.  Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 3. Food and Drug 
Administration. (accessed 5/17/2023).* 
2.  Joseph S. Nelson, Edwin J. Crossman, Hector Espinosa-Perez, Lloyd T. Findley, Carter 
R. Gilbert, Robert N. Lea, and James D. Williams, Common and Scientific Names of 
Fishes from the United States, Canada and Mexico, American Fisheries Society, Sixth 
edition, 2004. 
3.  Donna Turgeon et al., Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the 
United States and Canada: Mollusks, American Fisheries Society, Second Edition, 1998. 
4.  Williams et al., Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United 
States and Canada: Decapod Crustaceans, Publication 17. American Fisheries Society, 
1989. 
5.  R. Robins et al., World Fishes Important to North Americans Exclusive of Species from 
the Continental Waters of the United States and Canada, American Fisheries Society, 
Publication 21; 1991. 
6.  Willibald Krane, Five-Language Dictionary of Fish, Crustaceans and Molluscs, Van 
Nostrand Reinhold, 1986. 
7.  Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Multilingual Dictionary of 
Fish and Fish Products, Fourth Edition, Fishing News Books, New York, 1995. 
8.  Austin Williams, Lobsters of the World, an Illustrated Guide, Lobsters of the World in 
U.S. Trade, Osprey Books, 1988. 
9.  J. McClane, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, The Encyclopedia of Fish Cookery, First 
Edition, Canada, 1977. 
11 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
10. Integrated Taxonomic Information System: ITIS on-line database. (accessed 5/17/2023).* 
11. FishBase  : A Global Information System on Vertebrate Fishes, Froese, R., Bailly and D. 
Pauly, Editors (accessed 5/17/23).*  
12. SeaLifeBase A Global Information System on Invertebrate Fish, Palomares, M.L.D. and 
D. Pauly. Editors. 2023 (accessed 6/7/2023) 
 
 
Document History 
  January 2009 
  November 2010 
  July 2012 
 
12