So precious are shark fins in some countries which are often ripped the animal’s body without being able to identify later, a problem that aims to address a new digital tool.
The iSharkfin program, developed by the Organization of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the Spanish University of Vigo, can recognize shark species, especially those most threatened by illegal fishing, to From the photograph of their fins.
“It’s very complex identification when downloading (goods) in the ports,” said Efe Spanish Castor Guisande expert Department of Ecology and Animal Biology at the university who participated in the project.
Until coastlines around the world flock ships with tons of fins, considered a delicacy in Asian cuisine, while the bodies of the dead and mutilated sharks are thrown to the sea, a practice that some countries like the European Union have banned by forcing the flap remains attached to the fish.
The new tool, Guisande explains, allows the computer to download an image of the fin, making it four reference points to define your shape and pressing a button, get the name of the species in seconds.
iSharkfin now is able to identify at least 35 species of sharks, but the goal is to expand the database and develop an application for the Android system in the coming months.
Guisande stresses that there 1,136 types of sharks and rays, although researchers have focused on collecting information from the endangered species of commercial interest, which are reduced to little more than a hundred, while there are other very rare and hard to find.
“The overexploitation (of fish resources) has a clear impact on these species, which reproduce very slowly and have poor recovery,” he adds, referring to the sharks.
These large predators occupy a very high level of the food chain in the ocean and feed on the most abundant species, helping to balance populations of different types.
Other value give the shark those diners who continue in their flippers luxury dish with which to impress on the table.
Whether for flavor or aphrodisiac and therapeutic properties that are attributed to a kilo of the fin can be worth up to thirty times more than one of the very flesh of the shark, according Guisande.
Given this tradition, the Chinese government is trying to avoid eating shark fin at official banquets and, according to some studies, sales of that product have fallen recently in the country.
Monica Barone, who heads the FAO team responsible for developing the new software shows confidence that the tool improves the statistics on global exports and imports of the fish.
Inspectors at ports and environmental managers can now launch the identification of shark fins that system to control not endangered species are fished.
The program is also aimed at researchers, teachers and anyone curious to identify this animal, feared and admired.
In addition to this initiative, holding specialist, there are other similar as the application developed by Stanford University (USA) to take pictures of rare species of shark and share on a network worldwide.
Barone, “the more the availability of these data, most significant will be the results.”
And so, in the future, comments, fishing companies can determine what type of sharks being caught and “report from the ships to the authorities” in order not to exceed the quotas established for certain species.
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