Fish and chip shops serving endangered shark
It is ‘almost impossible’ for consumers to know what they are buying, scientists say
Endangered sharks are commonly being sold at chip shops and fishmongers in the UK, an investigation has found.
DNA tests carried out at the University of Exeter found that the majority of fish samples were spiny dogfish, a small shark which is endangered in Europe and classed as vulnerable worldwide.
Of the 78 samples from chip shops in southern England, roughly 90% were found to be shark.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scientists also found fins of scalloped hammerhead sharks, which are globally endangered, being sold by an Asian food wholesaler in England supplying Chinese restaurants, The Times reports.
The study’s authors said they could not tell if any rules had been broken as spiny dogfish caught as by-catch in EU waters can be sold under strict conditions, the paper adds.
“It’s almost impossible for consumers to know what they are buying,” said Catherine Hobbs, one of the authors of the study.
“People might think they’re getting a sustainably sourced product when they’re actually buying a threatened species.”
Shark meat is typically sold under general names such as huss, rock salmon and rock eel.
This form of labelling is permitted, but the findings have prompted calls for more stringent food labelling so people know exactly what they are consuming.
“There are also health issues,” Hobbs says. “Knowing what species you are buying could be important in terms of allergies, toxins, mercury content and the growing concern over microplastics in the marine food chain.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Duchess of Gloucester: the hard-working royal you've never heard of
Under The Radar Outer royal 'never expected' to do duties but has stepped up to the plate
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How the UN high seas treaty aims to protect the world’s oceans
feature Nearly 200 countries agreed to a legally binding protocol that has been two decades in the making
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Serious conversation’ needed over release of carp herpes into Australian waters
Speed Read Flooding means ‘bottom-feeding pests’ are appearing in huge numbers
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Is the freeport to blame for loss of marine life in Teesside?
feature Bitter row has broken out between the government and fishermen over mass die-off of crabs and lobsters
By The Week Staff Published
-
The climate crisis in 2023
feature New legislation, activism and business paths could change the picture this year
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Shell’s North Sea oil U-turn: ‘a first victory in a longer war’?
Speed Read Controversy after oil giant pulls out of proposed Cambo project
By The Week Staff Published
-
Fires, floods and storms: America’s ‘permanent emergency’ has begun
Speed Read This summer of climate horror feels like the ‘first, vertiginous 15 minutes of a disaster movie’, says The New York Times
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Hot air and empty rhetoric: is the UK acting too slowly on climate change?
Speed Read ‘Every day, new evidence accumulates that humanity is on an unsustainable path’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Germany floods: what led to this ‘once-in-a-century’ disaster?
Speed Read Nearly 200 people died in Germany and Belgium; hundreds are still unaccounted for
By The Week Staff Last updated