Despite global conservation efforts, elasmobranchs still face increased fishing pressure due to the high demand for their products. Although certain species have been afforded international and local protection, the high value of their products in international markets incentivizes the trade of protected species covertly within marketed fish products.
The Scientist from Sokoine University of Agriculture investigated into the endangerment of elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) in Tanzania, particularly focusing on the factors contributing to the shark-fin trade. Elasmobranchs face numerous threats globally, including overfishing, habitat destruction, and bycatch.
The finding of this study revealed that the shark and ray fishery in Tanzania is severely threatened, with over 70% of the traded fins originating from elasmobranchs threatened with extinction, with 36.8% sourced from critically endangered species.
Despite existing legislation in Tanzania to protect endangered shark and ray species, a black market for these threatened elasmobranchs continues to thrive through the trading of processed products and morphologically deformed specimens that cannot be easily identified by law enforcement.
To address this problem, the search results indicate that the project is underway to use DNA barcoding techniques to accurately identify the species composition of landed and traded shark and ray products in Tanzania. However, strengthening enforcement and education efforts are key to mitigating the illegal trade and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Tanzania’s shark and ray fisheries.
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Rumisha C., Barongo D., Saiperaki J.J., Materu F.S. and Mdegela R.H. (2024). Threatening the endangered: Uncovering endangered elasmobranchs and factors perpetuating the Tanzanian shark-fin trade. African Journal of Ecology, 2024;62:e13275. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13275
The Department of Animal, Aquaculture, and Range Sciences
The College of Agriculture, Sokoine University of Agriculture
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