Trade in Shark Fins Takes a Plunge

26. Februar 2015

An analysis of trade statistics suggests that efforts to educate shark fin soup consumers is working

In 2013, the environmental group WildAid reported that demand for shark fin soup in China had dropped by 50 to 70 percent, offering some hope for the estimated 25% of species of sharks and their relatives, that are threatened with extinction. Many experts thought those numbers sounded too good to be true.

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iSharkFin-App der Welternährungsorganisation

05. Februar 2015

iSharkFin is an expert system that uses machine learning techniques to identify shark species from shark fin shapes. The software was developed by FAO in collaboration with the University of Vigo with financial support from the Government of Japan and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Aimed at port inspectors, custom agents, fish traders and other users without formal taxonomic training, iSharkFin allows the identification of shark species from a picture of the fin.

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Scientists document longest-ever case of sperm storage in sharks

08. Januar 2015

Brownbanded bamboo sharks take the term "resourceful" to a whole new level. Steinhart Aquarium biologists at the California Academy of Sciences were taken aback when a shark egg case dropped by an adult bamboo shark showed signs of healthy development. The scientists had good reason for surprise: the aquarium's female Chiloscyllium punctatum adults had spent nearly four years—45 months—in complete isolation from males.

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