Shark Crimes: How DNA Helps Fight Fin Trade

Humans kill some 100 million sharks annually, largely for shark fin soup. Some shark species, like the oceanic whitetip, have declined up to 99 percent.

To find out how new trade restrictions are affecting the global shark fin trade, shark geneticist Demian Chapman is using DNA to get an accurate picture of how they’re caught and traded, as well as the role they play in our oceans.

“The same techniques that are used for solving crimes," said Chapman, a Pew marine fellow, "are the exact same ones we use to solve crimes involving wildlife.”

For more information on Chapman’s shark work, visit his Pew profile page.