Endangered sharks found in cat and dog food, study shows

Traces of endangered shark meat have been found in more than a dozen pet food products for cats and dogs.

Scientists found several traces of the ocean predators in pet food through a DNA analysis.

The most commonly identified species were the blue shark, silly shark and whitetip reef shark.

None of the sharks were listed as ingredients on the packaging.

While many pet brands say the food may contain “ocean fish,” such a vague term could mean animal owners are unwittingly feeding the shark meat to their pets.

Coral Reef sharks
WikiCommons

The authors of the study said: “The majority of pet owners are likely lovers of nature, and we think most would be alarmed to discover that they could be unknowingly contributing to the overfishing of shark populations.”

Overfishing has recently contributed to decreasing shark populations with a third of shark species facing extinction.

The widespread depletion has a significant knock-on effect on the entire ocean eco-system as the predators are crucial to maintaining the species below them in the food chain.

The authors propose the meat being used could be extracted from discarded shark carcasses that have been fished for their valuable fins.

The eye-opening study tested 45 products from 16 brands bought in a Singapore supermarket using DNA barcoding.

Out of 144 food samples nearly a third contained shark DNA with many of them being listed as ‘vulnerable species’ on the red list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, authored by Ian French and Benjamin J. Wainwright.