Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA 93940, USA.
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Biol Lett. 2020 Oct;16(10):20200609. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0609. Epub 2020 Oct 28.
Progress in global shark conservation has been limited by constraints to understanding the species composition and geographic origins of the shark fin trade. Previous assessments that relied on earlier genetic techniques and official trade records focused on abundant pelagic species traded between Europe and Asia. Here, we combine recent advances in DNA barcoding and species distribution modelling to identify the species and source the geographic origin of fins sold at market. Derived models of species environmental niches indicated that shark fishing effort is concentrated within Exclusive Economic Zones, mostly in coastal Australia, Indonesia, the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. By coupling two distinct tools, barcoding and niche modelling, our results provide new insights for monitoring and enforcement. They suggest stronger local controls of coastal fishing may help regulate the unsustainable global trade in shark fins.
全球鲨鱼保护的进展一直受到理解鲨鱼鳍贸易的物种组成和地理起源的限制。以前的评估依赖于早期的遗传技术和官方贸易记录，主要集中在欧洲和亚洲之间交易的丰富的远洋物种。在这里，我们结合了 DNA 条码和物种分布模型的最新进展，以确定市场上销售的鱼鳍的物种和来源。物种环境生态位的衍生模型表明，鲨鱼捕捞活动集中在专属经济区，主要在澳大利亚、印度尼西亚、美国、巴西、墨西哥和日本的沿海地区。通过结合两种截然不同的工具，即条码技术和生态位模型，我们的研究结果为监测和执法提供了新的见解。它们表明，加强沿海渔业的地方控制可能有助于规范全球不可持续的鲨鱼鳍贸易。
