ABSTRACT

In light of these concerns, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and at least seven nations have developed International and National, respectively, Plans of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (FAO 1998, 2000; NMFS 2001). A major, recurring recommendation in these plans is the collection of data on shark landings and trade on a species and also, whenever possible, on a geographic population-or stock-specific basis. This recommendation has its roots in (1) the historical absence of reliable data on shark catch and trade on a species-and population-specific basis, making robust stock status assessments nearly impossible in most cases, and (2) the realization that individual shark species can differ substantially in their life history characteristics and therefore their

CONTENTS

15.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 593 15.2 DNA Forensic Approaches ............................................................................................... 594

15.2.1 Multiplex PCR Approach to Shark Species Identification ............................... 595 15.2.2 DNA Barcoding for Shark Species Identification .............................................. 597

15.3 Applying DNA Forensics to Study the Shark Fin Trade and Its Impacts .................. 598 15.4 Tracking the Population Origin of Sharks in International Fisheries and Trade ..... 601 15.5 DNA Applications in Shark Fisheries Law Enforcement .............................................604 15.6 Concluding Perspectives ...................................................................................................605 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................605 References .....................................................................................................................................606