Overview

• University of North Carolina researchers identified the species in 29 shark products using DNA barcoding from purchases in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
• Of the samples, 93% were sold under ambiguous names such as “shark” or “mako shark,” and one of the two species-labeled products was incorrect.
• Nearly one-third of the products came from endangered or critically endangered species, including great and scalloped hammerheads, tope and shortfin mako.
• Some identified species are known to carry high levels of mercury, methylmercury and arsenic, posing health risks, particularly for children and pregnant people.
• The authors urge species-specific labeling and better traceability, noting enforcement challenges once sharks are processed, and they documented prices as low as $2.99 per pound for fresh meat with jerky averaging about $207 per kilogram.