DNA-based analysis of shark products sold on the Indonesian market towards seafood labelling accuracy program

Abstract

Abstract. Abdullah A, Nurilmala M, Muttaqin E, Yulianto I. 2020. DNA-based analysis of shark products sold on the Indonesian market towards seafood labelling accuracy program. Biodiversitas 21: 1385-1390. Authentication of fishery products has relied mainly on DNA analysis of mitochondrial genes such as cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) DNA barcoding and cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragments. The trend of sharks and rays food products trading in Indonesia significantly increased, due to their important role as protein source which may threaten the vulnerability status of some species. This study was aimed to determine the reliability of COI mini- DNA barcode and cyt b fragment for identification of shark species of heavily processed fishery products. We found the mini-DNA barcode was an effective tool to identify the shark species traded in local markets with most of the sample identifies as Carcharhinus falciformis. Our results highlight the urgency of applying DNA-based method as a routine method to control the labelling of Indonesian fish products and to manage sustainable fisheries.

A shot in the dark for conservation: Evidence of illegal commerce in endemic and threatened species of elasmobranch at a public fish market in southern Brazil

“…The results of the present study reinforce the value of the DNA barcode as a tool for the identification of elasmobranch species, and given the marked efficiency and reliability of this molecular tool, it has been employed in a growing number of studies in a range of countries in recent years. In particular, many studies have revealed the sale of fish species not previously known to have been targeted by commercial fisheries (Johri et al, 2019; Muttaqin et al, 2019; Pazartzi et al, 2019; Abdullah et al, 2020; Cardeñosa et al, 2020). These findings reinforce the need for the molecular identification of fishery products, not only in Brazil, but also in other countries in which elasmobranch meat is consumed, in order to provide reliable data to support the implementation of effective conservation measures.…”

Molecular Taxonomy and Diversification of Atlantic Skates (Chondrichthyes, Rajiformes): Adding More Pieces to the Puzzle of Their Evolutionary History

“…Moreover, multiple mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers have been widely used to assess elasmobranch species diversity and phylogeography [ 32 , 33 ] and to estimate levels of divergence and phylogenetic relationships among taxa [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. DNA barcoding using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) fragment [ 37 ] has been proven to be a reliable tool for species identification in elasmobranchs [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ] and appears to be particularly suited to strengthening morphological taxonomy [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. For skates, DNA barcodes were used to build species inventories for the North Pacific Ocean [ 46 ], the West Atlantic [ 47 , 48 ], the North-East Atlantic [ 49 , 50 ] and the Mediterranean Sea [ 41 ].…”

Disentangling the shark and ray trade in Indonesia to reconcile conservation with food security

“…Without adjustments, coastal communities are unlikely to benefit from CITES implementation, which may instead render their business more uncertain; so a practical alternative is required for communities that depend on CITES species, optimising the benefits while minimizing the costs [50]. Species identification is also extremely challenging since sharks and rays are processed in a myriad of ways, which makes the tracing of exports very challenging [26]. All these circumstances determine the intricacy of domestic and international trade flows in Indonesia (Error!…”