Ugandan Nile perch is suffering a global identity crisis, according to Sudheendra Kashyap, the head of sales for the Americas at Uganda-based seafood-processing and -exporting firm Lake Bounty Group.
Kashyap told SeafoodSource at the 2025 Seafood Expo Global, which took place 6 to 8 May in Barcelona, Spain, that many overseas buyers are misnaming or misrepresenting the fish as barramundi or sea bass, which are often considered more premium species and sell for higher price points.
“The [latter] are seawater fish; our fish is a freshwater fish,” he said. “We don’t want people to mislabel it. People should know what they are eating.”
The alleged misrepresentation comes as Lake Bounty is hoping to grow sales of its Nile perch in Asian markets like China, while simultaneously building its presence in the American and European markets where Nile perch is sought after by restaurateurs, according to Kashyap, who said these professionals are also selling the fish as grouper.
“This means our identity is lost,” Kashyap said. “We have a good, chemical-free, freshwater product. It’s as good as it gets.”
Misrepresentations of seafood has been a longstanding issue …
