Endangered Sharks have been founds in fish and chip shop products throughout the UK. New evidence has shown that meat from Endangered Sharks has been found in the food of fish and chip shops. The study was conducted by Scientific Reports. They found, through using DNA barcoding, that threatened species of Shark were on sale in the UK. These threatened species of Shark were being purchased and eaten by people without them even knowing it.
The researchers found that there were several different species of Shark being sold in chip shops. The main species they found, was the Spiny Dogfish, which are a critically endangered species in the North Atlantic ocean. As a whole, the Spiny Dogfish is a vulnerable species, and their population is decreasing around the world. However, their population could different now, as the last time this species was assessed, was in 2016.
The Spiny Dogfish was not the only Shark species that was caught being sold: there were other Shark species being sold too.
The Scalloped Hammerhead Shark was another species that was found to be sold. The Scalloped Hammered Shark is another endangered Shark species being sold in food. It's unknown whether or not the Scalloped Hammered Shark is a species decreasing, increasing, or remaining the same - as their population trend is unknown. These animals are not found in the Northern hemisphere; they are found in the Southern hemisphere.
The study found that the Scalloped Hammered Shark was being caught and used for their fins - the fins of these animals are used in Asian dishes, and Asian restaurants. It shows us that the UK is playing a role in the Shark fin trade; something which is damaging Shark species, and is a cruel trade. The Shark fin trade is cruel because the fins of Sharks are cut off of the animals while they are still alive, and then the animals are just chucked back into the ocean afterwards. This trade causes an immense amount of suffering to Sharks: 73 million Sharks are killed each year through the fin trade.
The Shark fin industry is immensely cruel, and results in millions of Sharks suffering a slow and painful death.
This industry is not only cruel, it has also been the cause of several Shark species decreasing rapidly. The demand for Shark fin products is so intense, that it is destroying Shark populations.