Sharks at risk over vaccine

The massive production of a virus to protect humans against the swine flu virus (H1N1) is posing a direct threat to various species of deep water sharks.

According to an article posted on Tuesday by Simply Green Online, a South African website focusing on green news and information, the sharks are threatened in a grave way by the virus through the pharmaceutical process which requires squalene, a substance that can be obtained from the sharks” liver.

“The killing of sharks for human survival poses a great risk to the deep water sharks. Species like the gulper shark (considered the best source of squalene) is already listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species since it is nearing extinction,” said author of the article, Beth Graddon-Hodgson. “These killings for squalene put these sharks at a greater risk since deep water species have low reproductive rates that further compromise their survival.” … Read Full Article by Michael Hamlyn