Threatened sharks in United States restaurants

This video says about itself:

China announces plans to ban shark fin soup at official functions, delighting environmentalists. Ramy Inocencio reports.

From AFP news agency:

Threatened shark species turning up in US restaurants

August 9, 2012

Threatened shark species are being used to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, in several US cities, according to an unprecedented study based on DNA testing.

Thirty-three different species of sharks turned up in samples collected in 14 cities and analyzed at Stony Brook University’s Institute for Ocean Conservation Science in New York. “US consumers of shark fin soup cannot be certain of what’s in their soup,” said Demian Chapman, who co-led the DNA testing, in a statement Wednesday. “They could be eating a species that is in serious trouble.” Scalloped hammerhead sharks, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was among the species found on the menus of US restaurants where shark fin soup can sell for as much as $100 per bowl.

Others included smooth hammerheads, school sharks and spiny dogfish, all listed as vulnerable to extinction, as well as a variety of near-threatened species such as bull and copper sharks. “This is further proof that shark fin soup here in the United States, not just in Asia, is contributing to the global decline in sharks,” said Liz Karan, of the Pew Environment Group, a foundation that supported the study.

At-Risk Species Still on U.S. Menus. It may be easier to order a troubled entrée than you think, especially if you eat fish and seafood: here.

Hammerhead Shark – Island Beach State Park, NJ: video here.