Nearly one-third of the shark species in the global fin trade are at risk of extinction, according to a new study by Florida International University.
FIU marine scientist Demian Chapman and his team collected samples from Asian seafood vendors and various other sources. Of the over 4,800 tissues collected, they identified almost 80 shark, ray and chimaera species in the Hong Kong retail shark fin market.
“Our team of Hong Kong and U.S.-based researchers did a little DNA detective work on scraps that are produced when traders clean the fins for the retail market,” Chapman said.
Of the sharks they were able to identify, one-third of them are listed as being threatened with extinction by experts at the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The study found that less than one-fifth of all shark species in this trade are fished responsibly.
It is the first time researchers have been able to estimate the number of species in the fin trade and categorize them by extinction risk.
“Stopping illegal and unsustainable trade in shark fins requires a comprehensive approach,” said Philip Chou, an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ global shark conservation campaign, which supported the research. “Threatened shark species will survive only if better trade and fisheries management practices are put in place locally and internationally. Additional resources should also be invested to enhance the enforcement of existing regulations.”
Source: FIU News