Americans Are Unknowingly Buying Critically Endangered Shark Meat

Food products containing sharks are sold in grocery stores, seafood and online markets in the United States – and in some cases, they come from species at risk of extinction.

It is the warning of researchers from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, who used DNA bar coding to analyze 30 shark products bought in Washington, DC, Caroline du Nord, Florida and Georgia in 2021 and 2022.

They found that nearly a third of samples came from endangered species or in danger of danger, including a large head of hammers, scalded hammers, Mako and TOPE in short film.

“Of the 29 samples, 93% were labeled ambiguous as” shark “and one of the two products labeled at the level of the species was poorly labeled,” said Savannah J. Ryburn, principal author of the study, in a press release.

“We have found that the critical in dangers are sold in grocery stores, seafood and online markets.”

Bad hand and public health

The study revealed a widespread revision error. In fact, a single product had a correct and specific label for the species. Many packages have been sold simply as a “shark”, which prevents consumers from knowing what they were buying.

Prices also varied considerably. The fresh shark meat sold for as little as $ 6.56 per kilogram, while the jerky shark was on average more than $ 200 per kilogram.

Beyond conservation problems, researchers have warned that certain species of sharks, including hammers and smooth ropes, contain high levels of mercury, methylmercure and arsenic, which can damage the brain and the nervous system, cause cancer and alter fetal development.

In 2022, another study revealed that the endangered shark meat was found in pet food, often labeled under the terms “white fish” or “ocean fish”.

Conservation context

Shark populations have already dropped more than 70% since the 1970s due to accessory sockets, climate change, habitat destruction and overfishing. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers that more than a third of shark species are now threatened with extinction.

While 74 shark species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Threatened Species (CITES), the application of the law remains limited. Once sharks are transformed into nets or jerks, visual identification is almost impossible, leaving gaps in commercial restrictions.

Call for stronger labeling

“The legality of the sale of shark meat in the United States depends largely on the place where the shark has been harvested and the species involved,” said Ryburn.

“At a time when large shark species reach grocery stores and markets, they are often sold as nets with all the distinctive characteristics deleted, which makes sellers unlikely to know what species they offer.”

The authors argue that the requirement of a labeling at the level of the species could help protect consumers and populations from vulnerable sharks.

“In the United States, sellers should be required to provide specific names to species,” said Ryburn. “And when shark meat is not a need for food security, consumers should avoid buying products that lack labeling in the species or traceable supply.”

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Reference

Ryburn, SJ, Yu, T., NGO, KJ, Sagely, E., Alston, Ma, Howie, E., Leroy, P., Giang, Se, Ball, W., Benton, J., Calhoun, R., Favreau, I., Gutierrez, A., Hallac, K., Hanson, D., Hibbard, T., Loflin, Mock G., Myers, K., Pinos-Sánchez, A., Suarez Garcia, AM, Retamale Romero, A., Thomas, A., Williams, R., Zaldivar, A., and Bruno, JF (2025). Sale of critically endangered sharks in the United States. Borders in marine science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1604454