DNA-based species identification of shark finning seizures in Southwest Atlantic: implications for wildlife trade surveillance and law enforcement

Author(s)

da Silva Ferrette, Bruno Lopes ^{[1, 2]} ; Domingues, Rodrigo Rodrigues ^[1] ; Fregadolli Ussami, Luis Henrique ^[3] ; Moraes, Leticia ^[4] ; Magalhaes, Carolina de Oliveira ^{[1, 3]} ; de Amorim, Alberto Ferreira ^[5] ; Silva Hilsdorf, Alexandre Wagner ^[4] ; Oliveira, Claudio ^[3] ; Foresti, Fausto ^[3] ; Mendonca, Fernando Fernandes ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Lab Genet Pesqueira & Conservacao, Inst Mar IMar, 144 Dr Carvalho Mendonca St, BR-11070102 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Santa Cecilia UNISANTA, Lab Genet & Conservacao, 277 Oswaldo Cruz St, BR-11045907 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho UN, IBB, LBGP, 250 Prof Dr Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin St, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Nucleo Integrado Biotecnol, 200 Dr Candido Xavier de Almeida & Souza Ave, BR-08780911 Mogi Das Cruzes, SP - Brazil

^[5] Fisheries Inst IP, 192 Bartolomeu Gusmao Ave, BR-11045401 Santos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION; v. 28, n. 14, p. 4007-4025, DEC 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Sharks developed life history traits that make them susceptible to overfishing. This is, in turn, a risk for extinction, and several species are affected. The high price of shark fins in the international trade has triggered the widespread capture of sharks at unsustainable levels, prompting illegal and unethical practices, such as finning. To address these concerns, the present study aimed to identify species composition using molecular techniques based on DNA barcoding and DNA polymorphism on samples taken from illegal shark fin seizures conducted by the Federal Environmental Agency of Brazil. A species-specific DNA-based identification from three finning seizures in Brazil found at least 20 species from 747 shark fins, some of which were identified as endangered and protected under Brazilian legislation, while others were representative of restricted catches, according to Appendix II of CITES. In the seizure from Belem, 338 fins were identified as belonging to at least 19 different species, while in the seizure from Natal 211, fins belonging to at least 8 different species were identified. Furthermore, 198 fins from Cananeia were identified through PCR-Multiplex as belonging to Isurus oxyrinchus. These results raise concerns about the environmental and socioeconomic effects of finning on developing countries. Furthermore, this study represents the first finning evaluation from Brazil in the Southwest Atlantic, highlighting the importance of developing policies aimed toward restricting and regulating the shark trade and detecting IUU fisheries and illegal trade of endangered species, mainly in developing countries, where fisheries management, surveillance, and species-specific fisheries catch data are often sporatic. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/23787-0 - Molecular biodiversity and conservation of sharks: gene bank, population structure and international scientific network of collaboration
• Grantee: Fernando Fernandes Mendonça
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/02420-8 - High-tech conservation: combining oceanography, transcriptome and genomics to assess population genetic connectivity and local adaptation of the highly migratory Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the Atlantic Ocean
• Grantee: Rodrigo Rodrigues Domingues
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 09/54660-6 - DNA mitochondrial sequence analysis for genetic population and molecular identification assessment of economically important pelagic fish species landed in fishery ports of State of São Paulo coast
• Grantee: Alexandre Wagner Silva Hilsdorf
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants