Hong Kong merchants openly selling shark fins from endangered species

They found 21 percent of the Hong Kong fins came from endangered scalloped hammerhead shark stocks in the western Atlantic.

High-tech forensic methods show that some shark fins on sale in Hong Kong markets come from endangered shark populations, proving the need for stronger trade regulations, a new study said Tuesday.

US scientists using a type of DNA testing said they were able to trace the geographic origin of shark fins on sale in Hong Kong and show that endangered species are being targeted by the trade.

The group is calling for the March 2010 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to draw up trade regulations to protect hammerhead and other shark populations.

"This trade has operated for years and years under the cover of darkness," said Demian Chapman, a lead author of the research who is based at Stony Brook University's Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, near New York.

"Our work shows that the scalloped hammerhead fin trade is sourced from all over the globe and so must be globally tracked and managed."

The group's research, to be published Tuesday in the Endangered Species Research journal, describes how the team analyzed fingernail-sized DNA samples from 62 scalloped hammerhead shark fins they purchased in a Hong Kong market.

The researchers used a technique known as "genetic stock identification" or GSI to examine each fin's mitochondrial DNA sequence.

The process is based on a DNA test developed in 2005 to distinguish between similar types of hammerhead shark and has been used to trace the geographic origin of some fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.

The study was the first time the technique had been applied to sharks and allowed the researchers to trace the geographic origin of 57 of the 62 purchased fins.

They found 21 percent of the Hong Kong fins came from endangered scalloped hammerhead shark stocks in the western Atlantic.

"The fact that scalloped hammerhead shark DNA shows strong population DNA signatures means that we can trace the geographic origin of most of their fins sold at markets," said Mahmood Shivji, a senior author of the research.

"From a broader perspective, this type of DNA forensic testing of fins will be an incredibly useful tool to prioritize areas for conservation and ensure sharks aren't wiped out in particular regions by excessive fishing," added Shivji, who heads the Guy Harvey Research Institute and Save Our Seas Shark Center at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Hong Kong's carbon Footprint second highest in World

Hong Kong's carbon footprint second highest in world: report

Hong Kong (AFP) Nov 30, 2009
Hong Kong has the second highest carbon footprint per capita in the world, due to the city's high consumption patterns and large volume of imports according to a survey released in Norway.

The study, conducted by a group of Norway-based scientists, compared the greenhouse emissions of 73 economies and found Hong Kong with a per capita footprint of 29 tonnes per year, second only to Luxembourg's 33 tonnes.

The results prompted calls for Hong Kong, a city of seven million, to strengthen measures to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

Titled "Carbon Footprint of Nations: A Global, Trade-linked Analysis", the research paper was published in the Environmental Sciences and Technology Journal in June. But the results did not come to the public's attention until they were reported by the daily South China Morning Post on Monday.

Using global data from 2001, the study put Hong Kong's carbon footprint among the highest, larger than the United States' 28.6 tonnes, Singapore's 24.1 tonnes and United Kingdom's 15.4.

Most of the environmental impact comes from the manufacturing and transportation of imported goods, with only 17 per cent of emissions from domestic activities.

The figure is significantly higher than one released by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department -- 6.7 tonnes per capita -- which took into account local emissions, such as from transport and power generation, but excludes emissions from the production of imported goods.

A spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Department declined to comment on the statistics but said the government abides by international guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions.

Bill Barron, a professor from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Institute for the Environment, said the government needs to tackle the problem.

"Hong Kong is an economy that is extremely dependant on trade. Therefore the city is tied to the ecological footprints that these imports make," Barron said.

He added that the government is avoiding its responsibility to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Pollution has become an increasing health and economic problem for the financial hub in recent years.

Emissions from the southern Chinese factory belt over Hong Kong's northern border have combined with local emissions from power generators and transport to park a thick haze over the city for most of the year.