There is something fishy going on at some sushi restaurants around the country.  An INSIDE EDITION hidden camera investigation found that the consumer doesn't always get what they pay for.

As Americans continue to watch their fat intake, more and more hungry customers are flocking to Japanese restaurants for sushi.  But good sushi can be very expensive, and as INSIDE EDITION found the fish in the sushi customers pay for isn't always the fish that is ultimately served.

INSIDE EDITION took our hidden cameras to sushi restaurants in Cincinnati, Cleveland and New York City in search of Japanese red snapper, a delicacy and prized fish among sushi lovers, which costs restaurants as much as $30 dollars a pound.

At 14 different sushi restaurants INSIDE EDITION purchased red snapper and had samples of the fish's DNA analyzed by Therion International, an independent laboratory.

Will Gergitz, who runs Therion, says the results revealed most of the snapper samples weren't snapper at all.  "The majority of samples are actually tilapia," Gergitz says.

Incredibly, DNA tests proved that 9 of the 14 restaurants INSIDE EDITION visited actually served tilapia, a cheap fish that can cost as little as $2 to $3 dollars a pound. Two other restaurants served another less expensive fish called white bass.  Only three restaurants correctly gave our Investigative team what was ordered: Japanese red snapper.  

INSIDE EDITION's Senior Investigative Correspondent Matt Meagher went back to the restaurants to see what they had to say.

At Tanaka restaurant in New York City, the manager insisted they gave our team red snapper.  "We don't sell any tilapia!" the manager said, and offered to show our cameras the packaging to prove it.  But when she returned minutes later, Meagher pointed out that the packaging on the fish was clearly labeled tilapia.  The manager said she would check into the problem with the restaurant's supplier. 

In Cincinnati, the manager at Kyoto also insisted that he sold INSIDE EDITION red snapper.  However, when he brought the packaging out, the fish was labeled as "tilapia filet."

The manager told INSIDE EDITION, "Every time we order this red snapper, they send this red snapper."  The manager then apologized, saying that it wasn't until INSIDE EDITION spoke with him that the sushi being sold was not red snapper, but tilapia.

At Benihana in downtown Cincinnati, part of a national chain of Japanese restaurants, the manager denied giving INSIDE EDITION tilapia.  He claimed that tilapia could not be used for sushi.  But later, a Benihana corporate spokesperson said the manager had made a mistake, and the restaurant has since corrected the menu.

The owner of Megu, Hiro Nishida, who runs one of the restaurants in New York City that correctly served INSIDE EDITION red snapper, says consumers need to be more aware.

"Serving tilapia is more profitable to the restaurants but not really honest to the customers," said Nishida.

In total, INSIDE EDITION found 11 restaurants to be serving fish that was not red snapper, including:
- Beluga, 3520 Edwards Road, Cincinnati, OH (response below)
- Benihana, 126 East 6th Street, Cincinnati, OH (response above)
- Dancing Wasabi, 1018 Delta Ave, Cincinnati, OH (response below)
- Kyoto Japanese Cuisine, 12082 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH (response above)
- Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, 11481 Chester Road, Cincinnati, OH (response below)

- Ginza Sushi and Steak House, 1105 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH (response below)
- Sushi Rock Cafe, 1276 W. Sixth  Street, Cleveland, OH  (response below)
- Sakura Japanese Restaurant, 15400 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH (response below)

- Akane Sushi, 216 East 39th Street, New York, NY  (response below)
- East 53rd Teriyaki, 220 East 53rd Street, New York, NY (response below)
- Tanaka Sushi, 222 East 51st Street, New York, NY (response above)

The owner of Beluga restaurant blamed the misidentification of tilapia for red snapper on its supplier and says it was a mistake and not intended to deceive customers.

The manager of Dancing Wasabi disputed INSIDE EDITION's findings and says that they don't serve tilapia. "We only use 100% red snapper."

The manager of Tokyo tells INSIDE EDITION that he has "been in business for over 50 years and has nothing to hide."  He says it is possible that a server made a mistake.
 
At Ginza Sushi and Steakhouse the owner admitted on camera it was a mistake and vowed to correct the situation.
 
At Sushi Rock Cafe a spokesperson tells INSIDE EDITION, "We constantly monitor the accuracy of our menu items along with the freshness and quality of our food...In this instance, if an error was made in the type of fish prepared, or in the failure to properly identify it, we are investigating the claim with our fish purveyor and potential cause, so that is can be rectified immediately."

At Sakura Japanese Restaurant a spokesperson insisted to INSIDE EDITION that the sushi they served was in fact red snapper.

At Akane Sushi the manager tells INSIDE EDITION when she bought the fish the supplier said you could call it red snapper.

At East 53rd Teriyaki, the restaurant insisted they did serve red snapper but could not provide INSIDE EDITION with the packaging.

According to the tests, INSIDE EDITION was served red snapper as ordered at the following restaurants:
- Megu, 62 Thomas Street, New York, NY
- Nobu, 105 Hudson Street, New York, NY
- Pacific East, 1763 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, OH