U.K. fish and chip shops are selling their customers endangered species of sharks that have been mislabeled as other types of fish, according to a new report.
A DNA investigation for the Daily Mirror newspaper found that threatened species like spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and starry smooth-hound (Mustelus asterias) are being passed off as rock salmon. What’s more, the report discovered that many takeaway owners were unaware of what fish they were actually selling.
The report said that scientists tested 15 battered “fish” samples purchased in popular resort towns including Bournemouth, Brighton, Clacton, Great Yarmouth, Newquay, and Poole.
Using DNA techniques, they found 10 examples of spiny dogfish, which is classified as endangered in Europe and on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species. The other five contained starry smooth-hound.
In the E.U., spiny dogfish is only allowed to be sold if it is caught as bycatch, while legislation permits various shark types to be labeled as dogfish, flake, huss, rock, rock eel, or rock salmon.
