Bertarelli-Annual-Report-2024-FULL - Flipbook - Page 15
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using 150 shark and ray samples from
Building Genomic Seascapes constructed
50 species, with three replicates per species. Special
to Enable Genetic Surveillance emphasis was placed on species commonly caught
in Sri Lanka, taking into account their IUCN Red List
of Illegally Fished Sharks
status and geographical distribution. This reference
library now serves as a robust tool for species
identification at export points, strengthening CITES
trade enforcement and enhancing species-level trade
data analysis.
Lead Investigator: Prof. Barbara Block,
Stanford University
In 2024, the project team directed its efforts towards
Sri Lanka—one of the world’s largest fishing nations for
elasmobranchs—tackling the escalating demand for
shark and ray products, such as meat, gill plates, and
fins, which are widely circulated in the local fisheries
trade. Given the legal restrictions and permits governing
the trade of many of these species due to their IUCN
status, effective regulation is imperative. However,
visually identifying these products—particularly
body parts, fins, and gill plates—presents significant
challenges. While molecular techniques offer an accurate
solution, the absence of adequate infrastructure and
a country-specific reference sequence database in Sri
Lanka has hindered their implementation.
In parallel, the team developed a cutting-edge
Artificial Intelligence tool capable of accurately
identifying 20 species of sharks with 93% precision.
The AI tool has been trained on images of sharks
and rays from markets in India and Bangladesh. With
further development, this tool has the potential
to assess the conservation status of sharks and
rays across the Indian Ocean, including critically
endangered species, enabling timely and targeted
conservation actions.
Moreover, the team have pioneered innovative remote
biodiversity monitoring methods, such as fluid lensingassisted drones, and designed low-cost underwater
cameras. These advances have significantly bolstered
the capacity for field surveys in developing countries.
As a result, the team uncovered new biodiversity
hotspots, enabling swift and effective species protection
measures in regions where they are most needed.
To address this gap, the project has successfully
established a reliable DNA reference library focusing
on species found in Sri Lankan waters. This library
captures the region’s unique genetic diversity,
thus mitigating the risk of misidentification. It was
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