Shark fin DNA test "conservation breakthrough"
Posted by MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) on Tue 27 Aug 2002 - 19:41
Now regulatory bodies can tell if endangered sharks are on the menu. Dried shark fins look puzzlingly similar, and even experts can't always tell if one has come from a protected species. Now the Wildlife Conservation Society and Nova Southeastern University
have developed a special test to identify 10 threated types of sharks by the DNA left in the fin. Cursory tests in a Hong Kong fish market showed a fifth of the fins tested were mislabled. This will ultimatly make it simpler to prove the impact of fisheries on endagered species.
About the author
MelSkunk (Melissa Drake) — read stories — contact (login required)a student and Skunk from Toronto, ON, interested in writting, art, classic cars and animals
Comments
Post new comment