todropscience:ENDANGERED SHARKS IN YOUR BEAUTY CARE AND PET FOODAs apex predators, sharks play a

todropscience: ENDANGERED SHARKS IN YOUR BEAUTY CARE AND PET FOOD As apex predators, sharks play an important role in marine ecosystem by maintaining the species below them in the food chain and serving as an indicator for ocean health, however, due to human pressure, third of open ocean sharks are threatened with extinction. Now, a study recently published in Conservation Genetics shows some threatened species are used as a component in beauty care and pet food products. Sharks are commonly traded for their fns to be used in different Asian countries as a soup delicacy. Nevertheless, shark meat trade has increased substantially in the last decade, while liver oil trade is still largely unknown. Using molecular and genetic analysis, Diego Cardeñosa from Colombia Azul Foundation identified in most of the tested products an elasmobranch-based ingredients. Surprising, all products tested were not labeled as containing elasmobranch-based ingredients. - Identified near threatened as endangered sharks species in this study. The Endangered shortfn mako shark, as the blue shark, scalloped hammerhead and blacktip shark are part of the list. The researcher highlights the need for more labeling controls, since shark populations could benefit if consumers have the alternative to choose whether or not to purchase products containing threatened shark species in order to decrease the global demand. Photo: alive shortfin mako shark, by Mark Conlin, SWFSC Large Pelagics Program Reference: Cardeñosa et al., 2019.  Genetic identifcation of threatened shark species in pet food and beauty care products. Genetic Research. Sadly, the study doesn’t mention any brand. All cosmetics contained squalene or squalane in the list of ingredientes, but none of them contained any label suggesting its source (i.e. plant or animal). In words of the researcher, all products tested for this study were not labeled as containing elasmobranch-based ingredients. Same with pet food, these items were only labeled containing meat from unspecific categories such as “ocean fish” or “white fish”.Here an open access link of this study (opened using Sci-Hub). The researcher’s email appears in the study. -- source link

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