DNA barcoding continues to identify endangered species of shark sold as food in a globally significant shark fin trade hub

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 12; p. e16647
• Main Authors: Selena Shen, Kai-Lin, Cheow, Jin Jie, Cheung, Abigail Belle, Koh, Ryan Jia Rong, Koh Xiao Mun, Amanda, Lee, Yun Ning, Lim, Yan Zhen, Namatame, Maya, Peng, Eileen, Vintenbakh, Vladislav, Lim, Elisa X Y, Wainwright, Benjamin John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 03.01.2024; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Animals; Bar codes; Biological monitoring; Cardiovascular disease; CITES; CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species); Conservation; Conservation of Natural Resources; Consumers; DNA; DNA barcoding; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered Species; Fins; Fish industry; Fisheries; Government regulation of business; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Heavy metals; International economic relations; International trade; IUCN; Labeling; Life history; Metals; Mislabelling; Mitochondrial DNA; Retail industry; Seafood; Sharks; Sharks - genetics; Singapore; Thermal cycling; Traditional Chinese medicine; Wildlife conservation; Australia; Southeast Asia; Singapore; Mislabelling; Seafood; Singapore; IUCN; CITES; Conservation
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16647

Shark fins are a delicacy consumed throughout Southeast Asia. The life history characteristics of sharks and the challenges associated with regulating fisheries and the fin trade make sharks particularly susceptible to overfishing. Here, we used DNA barcoding techniques to investigate the composition of the shark fin trade in Singapore, a globally significant trade hub. We collected 505 shark fin samples from 25 different local seafood and Traditional Chinese Medicine shops. From this, we identified 27 species of shark, three species are listed as Critically Endangered, four as Endangered and ten as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Six species are listed on CITES Appendix II, meaning that trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival. All dried fins collected in this study were sold under the generic term "shark fin"; this vague labelling prevents accurate monitoring of the species involved in the trade, the effective implementation of policy and conservation strategy, and could unwittingly expose consumers to unsafe concentrations of toxic metals. The top five most frequently encountered species in this study are and . Accurate labelling that indicates the species of shark that a fin came from, along with details of where it was caught, allows consumers to make an informed choice on the products they are consuming. Doing this could facilitate the avoidance of species that are endangered, and similarly the consumer can choose not to purchase species that are documented to contain elevated concentrations of toxic metals.