The Seafood List

Updated August 2023

The Seafood List is FDA's Guide to Acceptable Market Names for Seafood sold in Interstate Commerce. It is available as a searchable database. The Main search page will display the Type, the Acceptable Market Name, the Common Name, and the Scientific Name. A hyperlink from the Scientific Name will open a Detail Page with additional information for that species. See the list below for more details.

The Acceptable Market Name (and some common names that are not prohibited by regulation or law) may be used to label seafood products in interstate commerce. When there is no Acceptable Market Name in The Seafood List, or to determine if a different particular name is an Acceptable Market Name for use in interstate commerce, consult the Principles in Section VI of the Seafood List Guidance.

For questions and feedback regarding The Seafood List, please contact the Division of Seafood Safety at 240-402-2300 or by email at seafoodhaccp@fda.gov. You may submit either electronic or written comments on The Seafood List at any time. To ensure that the Agency considers your comment on The Seafood List, submit electronic comments to http://www.regulations.gov. Submit written comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments should be identified with the docket number FDA-1994-D-0221 (formerly 94D-0265).

The Seafood List is updated every six months, as resources permit, and summaries of those updates are posted on the Seafood List Guidance page. These updates include new additions to The Seafood List, any modifications to the scientific name (once the updated scientific nomenclature is agreed upon by the scientific community), and removal of any species that are endangered and not allowed to be sold in interstate commerce (U.S endangered species list): https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/index.htm.

The Seafood List contains the following information:

• Type: V indicates Vertebrate, I indicates Invertebrate, and I(C) indicates Invertebrate (Crustacean)
• Acceptable Market Name (or Names)
• Common Name (usually an English language name established by ichthyologists and other fishery experts)
• An asterisk (*) next to the Acceptable Market Name(s) in the Seafood List indicates that a specific rule or regulation applies to that species. A dagger symbol (†) next to the Common Name in The Seafood List identifies names that are prohibited by a law. Information on the specific rule, regulation, or law is displayed in the detailed information section (see below)
• Scientific Names (Latin binaries)

A basic search on a name is the default search mode and is usually sufficient; however there is also an advanced search function when needed.

The Seafood List is sorted by default alphabetically (A to Z) on the Scientific Name column. Clicking on a different column heading in the Seafood List will sort the display alphabetically (A to Z) on the selected column; clicking on that heading a second time will sort the display in reverse order (Z to A).

Detailed information for a specific species is available by clicking on the Scientific Name hyperlink. A detail page will appear with the following information, if available.

• Scientific Name (Latin binary).
• Acceptable Market Name: an asterisk (*) next to the Acceptable Market Name indicates that a specific rule or regulation applies to that species. A hyperlink provides access to the applicable rule or regulation.
• Common Name: A dagger symbol (†) next to the Common Name identifies names that are prohibited by a law. A hyperlink provides access to the applicable law.
• The DNA hyperlink provides access to DNA sequence data (barcodes) available for all holdings with that Scientific name in the DNA Sequence Library. Clicking each of the hyperlinks on the results page opens a detail page for that specimen with the barcode and other data.
• The TSN hyperlink (Taxonomic Serial Number) provides access to taxonomic information from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).  
• The HAZ hyperlink provides access to Chapter 3: Potential Species Related and Processed Related Food Safety Hazards [PDF, 2.5 Mb] in the Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance (FFPHCG). Some of the species in The Seafood List do not have an active HAZ hyperlink. This does not mean that no hazard exists for this species. It is the responsibility of the processor to review the information in the FFPHCG to determine if a potential species or process related hazard exists for a particular species.
• Vernacular (regional) names may be searched below in the database to identify the acceptable names for a species. However, they are not acceptable names; they are included in the List ONLY for cross-reference, and their use may cause the fish to be misbranded. This listing is not complete and does not account for many names used around the world.
• The Seafood List data for Type, Market Name, Common Name, and Scientific Name may be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet (.csv format; see below).