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TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan has begun testing DNA from shark fins sold in local markets in a bid to protect endangered species such as great whites and whale sharks, an official from the Fisheries Agency said on Wednesday.
The efforts come as the island moves to restrict its shark fin industry, which environmental groups say accounts for the deaths of 73 million sharks each year across the world.
Taiwanese fishermen are already barred while their vessels are at sea from removing shark fins, which are considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and often served in soup at special occasions such as weddings.
Fisheries Agency spokesman Kevin Chung said the department had analysed samples of 100 fin products so far and checked them against DNA databanks of up to three-quarters of the world's approximately 400 shark species.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_802134.html
Picture Source: http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/104_2012_web_projects/Jenna_Schmidt/Sharks.html
5 comments:
Shark fin soup is a delicacy but if it causes this species to extinct, we should say no for shark fin soup!
Many hotels and resorts in Sabah stops serving shark fins now in support of Datuk Masidi's ban on shark hunting. Hope that this will influence more people to stop consuming shark fins.
The Taiwanese DNA mapping technique is also good to help protect these endangered species. This shows that many countries other than Sabah are starting to put a stop on Shark Hunting. Good job.
Demand for that crucial ingredient has led to the killing of a median of about 38 million sharks a year, according to a new study that offers what may be the first reliable estimates of the number of sharks killed for their fins.
The United Nations has estimated that only about ten million sharks are harvested each year. Some conservationists, however, put the number at closer to a hundred million.
Shark finning has increased over the past decade largely due to the increasing demand for shark fins for shark fin soup and traditional cures, particularly in China and its territories, and as a result of improved fishing technology and market economics.
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