A Closer Look at the Shark Fin Trade with Dr Diego Cardeñosa

The international trade in shark fins is a behemoth; vast, complex and difficult to disentangle. But for molecular and forensics expert Dr Diego Cardeñosa, one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the fin trade is the tiniest part of a shark: their DNA. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Diego's research, which has been instrumental in understanding the nuances of the fin trade and securing better regulations for this billion-dollar industry. This includes the development of a portable, easy-to-use and inexpensive DNA ID kit (the "lab-in-a-backpack") that can help local officials identify endangered and protected species from just fragments of shark fin - all for under $2. We also talk about the problems with implementing international policy at a local level, the scale and complexities of the trade, and whether Diego is seeing any shifts in how the trade operates - for better or for worse. 

Links 

Shownotes: www.saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast

Diego on Instagram: @diegocardenosa

https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/diego-cardenosa/

https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/cardenosa-diego.html

If you want to dive deeper, you can find links to Diego’s research here.