Exclusive | Rapid test to give Hong Kong officials new weapon to fight shark fin trade

Hong Kong is set to adopt a new rapid test that could “significantly” reduce the time needed to identify shark fin species at borders as early as next year to help tackle illegal wildlife trade and overexploitation, according to a top UN official and local authorities.

Ivonne Higuero, secretary general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), also called on the private sector to step up efforts to help counter wildlife trafficking during a recent visit to Hong Kong.

In an exclusive interview with the Post, Higuero, head of the CITES Secretariat that is administered by the UN Environment Programme, revealed that Hong Kong would soon begin using a new method to detect shark fins from species protected under the convention.

“Normally, if you’re suspicious of the species, you would have to send it to genetic testing, which is costly and takes time. But now, with this new system, you do it on the spot with the right equipment and almost immediately that you can get a result,” she said, likening it to the rapid tests used during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department told the Post earlier that it was refining the technique with the US-based Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, which has provided the equipment and reagents required for free.

“As more shark species are brought under the control of CITES, academics have developed a new technique known as closed-tube bar coding, which is a PCR-based method to identify shark species,” the department said.

“The method does not require DNA sequencing, but uses reagents containing the genetic probes. It can provide results in two hours at the earliest and significantly reduce the turnaround time in the identification of shark fin specimens.”