Study finds critically endangered sharks being sold as food in U.S. grocery stores

A new study by the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill discovered that shark meat sold in American grocery stores, seafood markets and online sellers often comes from threatened species and is often wrong. The researchers bought and DNA to code to bar bars with barbars with barbars bar bar with bar bar to bar bar to bar bar bar bar with bar bar to bars to determine the identity of their species, noting that 93% of the samples were labeled ambiguous and included meat of 11 species of different sharks.

Among the identified species were the large hammer and the scolding hammers, both listed as in danger criticized by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN). Despite the global decreases in shark populations, their meat was sold to American consumers, sometimes for as little as $ 2.99 per book.

“Bad labeling and ambiguous labeling reduce consumers’ ability to choose what they put in their bodies,” said Savannah Ryburn, Ph.D., the first author of the study and co-instructor of the Legal Medicine Class of Sea Fruits that conducted research. “For example, two species of our study, Hammerhead Festloped and Great Hammerhead, were labeled ambiguous as” sharks “, even if they are strongly advised consumption due to their very high levels of mercury. Without precise and precise labeling, consumers cannot avoid buying these products. “”

In their study published in Borders in marine scienceThe researchers found that out of the 29 products tested, 27 were labeled simply as “shark” or “Mako shark” without designation of the species. Even among the two products labeled with a species name, one proved incorrect. These results highlight a major gap in the transparency of seafood and consumer safety.

“The United States should require that seafood distributors provide specific names to species for products sold,” said John Bruno, PH.D., a distinguished and co-instructor professor of the judicial class of seafood.

Shark meat is known to contain high levels of mercury, which may have serious risks for human health, especially for children and speakers. Researchers point out that precise labeling is essential not only for conservation but also for consumer protection.

“Sharks such as the great and scorching hammers are the equivalent of the Lions of the Ocean, and we were shocked by the way the meat of these rare and long lifespan predators was sold,” added Ryburn. “Some samples only cost $ 2.99 per book.”

The study, which contributes to a set of limited but increasing research using DNA bar coding to study the precision of the labeling of shark products in the United States, calls for stronger regulations and the monitoring of seafood labeling practices.