Barcoding Fish: Prospects for a Standardized DNA-Based Method of Species-level Identification for Archaeological Fish Remains

Abstract

The Universal Product Codes (UPC) or barcodes found on a wide range of purchase items are put there for the quick identification of each individual item brought to the register. The barcodes are printed and scanned in the same format, and a unique barcode exists for each specific type of product. For example, all cans of Diet Coke will have the same barcode, but a can of Cherry Coke or of Pepsi will have a different code. This system allows the rapid identification of each product (and thus, the pre-programmed price and inventory/sales records) by simply scanning an item over a laser without having so much as to look at it.