Conclusion: DNA-Based Authentication of Shark Products and Implications for Conservation and Management

Given long generation times and relatively slow reproductive rates, elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are particularly prone to overexploitation. The unrelenting demand for shark products is unsustainable and many shark fisheries are collapsing. Because of the urgency of addressing this situation, this book concludes with an overview of how DNA-based tools are being deployed for the identification of shark products in commercial trade and summarize the relevance of this information for conservation and management. Advances in reference sequence library construction, population-level identification methods, and instrumentation platforms, together with declining costs of conducting molecular diagnostic tests, will enhance the uptake of these tools for seafood authentication and traceability. However, as this text has demonstrated, they are already improving our ability to monitor patterns of exploitation and yield greater transparency in the industry. The results highlight the urgency of enforcing existing regulations and promoting additional measures to conserve the world's shark fisheries.