Last year, colleague Diego Cardinosa, an international shark researcher, sent a few pieces of shark fin taken from a bowl of soup in New York City. Using a PCR test similar to that used during the Covid-19s for the virus test, Cardeñosa has been able to identify the species behind the fin as a sandy spray, a type of endangered species in tropical and warm waters.
Now, Cardeñosa and other scientists from the International University of Florida, as well as law enforcement officials from the National Oceanic and Calf Administration (NOAA), plans to publish tests in ports throughout the country to perform a fraud on seafood and fish trafficking.
Illegal hunting negatively affects the project as well as fishing fishermen. Nearly a third of the types of sharks are threatened or close to the endangered threat and the value of global trade in the sharks is approximately one billion dollars per year, According to the United Nations.
At the same time, US seafood consumption increases, rising by more than 30 % in the decade of 2002. About 80 % of this comes from foreign exports – most of them from Canada, Chile, Indonesia and Vietnam, according to The US Department of Agriculture.
The PCR uses genetic marks developed for more than 100 species including wonderful eggs, hammer heads, atmos, oceanic white, and whale sharks. Other species whose genetic signs of the PCR are developed all types of Atlantic tuna and European tuna.
Once the samples are added to the device, genetic signs produce a specific chemical reaction depending on the types of fish that are tested.
Cardeñosa recently tested a container called “US Sea Snake” for the European Sea. He said that when performing the tests using sea snake samples from the container, PCR devices were lit up, confirming the presence of a European sea snake. He said: “If you do not light any of the samples or give you an increase in traveling in the tube, this means that none of these tubes does not contain the European sea snake in it.”
He added that the tools are designed to grant law enforcement officers enough initial evidence to stop the shipment.
Model inspections of the ports currently consist of visual tariffs for fish species, however, according to Noaa, the vast majority of fish products and imported seafood in the United States enter at the time when a fillet, manufactured fish products or sharks are interfering without corpses. As a result, relying on visual inspections to identify species can be incredibly difficult.
“The deployment of the PCR will allow officers to perform genetic analysis in an actual time during inspections and detect seafood fraud,” said NOAA James Miller.
The device also saves money. The presentation and analysis of a single fish sample to the government forensic laboratory can cost several hundreds of dollars. In contrast, the cost of collecting and analyzing the fish sample that was consumed in the field using the PCR is less than one dollar.
“These efforts protect us for consumers, who can feel safe, knowing that they buy legal and safe seafood,” Miller said.
