When Chinese state TV accidentally revealed much of the “salmon” sashimi eaten in the country was actually rainbow trout, domestic fish farmers faced a crisis of consumer confidence. After fishing for a solution, they came up with an idea: to officially deem the rainbow trout a type of salmon. Over the weekend, China’s major rainbow trout producers, with the support of an industry group attached to the Agriculture Ministry, announced a new standard to allow the fish to bear the “salmon” label. The move solves woes facing domestic producers after state broadcaster CCTV earlier this year highlighted China’s “freshwater salmon” fish farming on the Tibetan plateau.
