Marine scientists have been
getting "back to basics" to help unlock the secret lives of basking
sharks.
A team of experts in the Isle
of Man have come up with a DIY kit comprising of a pan scourer and a window
cleaning pole to enable them to collect DNA from sharks.
The innovative design means
they can collect dorsal fin slime with the minimum of disruption to the animal.
Basking sharks are classed as
"globally vulnerable to extinction" by the International Union for
the Conservation of Nature and the key to their survival is finding out as much
information as possible about their movements and behaviour.
Coordinator of Manx Basking
Shark Watch, Jackie Hall said: "This kit is about getting back to basics
to help global conservation efforts- we are combining practical solutions with
cutting-edge science."
Basking sharks are still
hunted in some waters as part of the finning industry where, horribly enough,
they take the fins for shark fin soup and discard the rest of the body”
Jackie Hall Marine Biologist
Mrs Hall, along with her
engineer husband Graham, has been granted a special licence by the Isle of Man
government to get close to the sharks for research.
The kit idea came after
government vets warned against the traditional method of DNA collection,
thought to be too invasive to use on an endangered species.
The old method of DNA
collection involves putting a small plug in the shark to get a skin sample.
When Mr Hall was told that
shark slime was an ideal substance for DNA sampling he set off for his local
DIY store for some ideas.
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