What DNA tells us about the shark fin trade

In case you missed it the Vancouver Sun in conjunction with Bob Hanner, associate director for the Canadian Barcode of Life, recently took some sharks fin from a series of markets in Vancouver and ran a DNA profile on them.

The results were interesting to say the least.

Fine article, great reporting, and a wake up call.

As we have long said, to combat the global shark fin trade you need to understand it first. One of those critical first steps is not only sampling sharks fin from major trading centers over time, but also analysing the trade routes, distribution centers, online trade, and species connection.

This first step take in Vancouver could also be done in San Francisco, L.A, Las Vegas, just as efficiently.

Any takers?