- Demand for shark meat rises
- Regulations fail to curb mortality
- Mislabeling in global markets
Forget cod and chips; scientists have discovered that those who have recently dined at a chippie in the United Kingdom may have inadvertently consumed shark flesh.
A new study reveals that despite international efforts to restrict the trade in shark fins, the demand for shark flesh has increased.
Shark is commonly sold as unlabeled “mystery meat” in chip shops and restaurants worldwide, including in Britain, according to the scientists.
According to research from Dalhousie University in Canada, the number of sharks slain increased from 76 million in 2015 to 80 million in 2019.
Concerningly, 25 million of the sharks that were slain that year belonged to species that were already threatened with extinction.
Between 2012 and 2019, the researchers monitored the whereabouts of 1.1 billion sharks in 150 fishing nations for the study.
Throughout this period, approximately 70% of maritime jurisdictions enacted legislation aimed at safeguarding sharks against trawling.
The primary objective of these measures has been to prevent “finning,” a practice in which fishermen remove the fins of living sharks and subsequently return them to the water, where they perish from hunger or suffocate.
Regulations’ Limited Impact on Mortality
This practice, which is motivated by the high demand for shark fins as a luxury delicacy, has brought certain shark species to the verge of extinction.
Nevertheless, according to the study, these regulations have been ineffective in diminishing the annual shark mortality rate.
From 2012 to 2019, shark mortality in offshore fisheries decreased by seven percent.
In national coastal waters, however, the death toll for sharks, currently captured in the majority, has risen by 4%.
A small number of regions, including the Coral Triangle comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines, are experiencing a concentration of fatalities.
Six nations were accountable for half of all shark fatalities, with Indonesia being solely responsible for 19 percent, according to the findings of the researchers.
Dr. Darcy Bradley, a co-author of the study, stated, “Our research indicates that the annual mortality rate of sharks by fisheries remains constant, despite the implementation of numerous regulations designed to mitigate shark overfishing.”
If anything, there is a modest upward trend.
According to the research, regulations that were intended to prevent shark finning have inadvertently encouraged fishermen to develop novel methods of profiting from shark catches.
Since shark fishermen can no longer harvest shark fins alone, they have simply acclimated to selling the entire carcass.
The resulting surge in demand for shark flesh, cartilage, and oil has stimulated the international trade of shark products.
The value of the shark and ray flesh market has increased significantly from $1.5 billion (£1.18 billion) in 2012 to $2.6 billion (£2.04 billion) in 2019, as reported by WWF.
Shark biologist and co-author Leonardo Feitosa of UC Santa Barbara explained that this has significantly increased the market for shark meat.
“Demand for shark fins has decreased, while demand for shark meat has increased,” says Ms. Feitosa. “Brazil and Italy are the primary consumers of shark meat.”
Significant mislabeling occurs due to the fact that shark meat is a comparatively inexpensive substitute for other types of fish; as a result, some consumers consume shark meat unknowingly.
In markets such as the United Kingdom, sellers often sell the meat under the guise of “mystery meat” rather than identifying it as shark, and they frequently transform it into fried “fish.”
Hidden Shark in Takeaways
In 2019, ninety percent of fish and chip takeaways in the South of England utilised shark flesh without the knowledge of their patrons, according to a study by Exeter University.
Ten of the fifteen samples collected by scientists from locations along the south coast were spiny dogfish, while the remaining five were starry smooth-hound.
In Europe, authorities list both the spiny dogfish and the starry smooth-hound as endangered species.
The sale of fish products bearing the names of endangered species—rock salmon, rock eels, and huss—has prompted activists to demand more transparent labelling.
According to the researchers, the global trade in shark flesh remains a substantial peril to the continued existence of endangered species.
Dr. Bois Worm, the principal researcher, asserts, “Too many sharks are perishable, which is particularly alarming for endangered species like hammerhead sharks.”
The researchers state that to reduce the worldwide trade in shark meat, there is a need for enhanced enforcement and more targeted policies.
“Unlock your financial potential with free Webull shares in the UK.”
Actually, low-income nations that rely heavily on a healthy marine environment have spearheaded some of the most effective initiatives to reduce shark mortality.
The researchers also observe, however, that nations with weaker democratic systems and oversight mechanisms have had difficulty reducing shark deaths.
The researchers aspire to leverage these regional achievements in order to advocate for prohibitions on indiscriminate fishing and mandates that fishermen release endangered species.
