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Caviar Conservation

THE DELICACY CAVIAR CAN COME FROM SOME FISHY SOURCES.  LEARN HOW REGULATORS DETERMINE WHICH FISH EGGS ARE FROM THE BLACK MARKET ON THIS ENVIRONMINUTE.

MANY SPECIES OF STURGEON HAVE BEEN DRIVEN TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION BY COMMERCIAL FISHING.  BUT ROB DESALLE OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY SAYS A D-N-A TEST HE CO-DEVELOPED IS HELPING REVERSE THIS DEADLY TREND.

DESALLE: DNA TESTS WERE CREATED FOR LOOKING AT THE SPECIES ORIGIN OF CAVIAR BY TAKING CAVIAR EGGS OUT OF CANS AND DNA TYPING THOSE PARTICULAR EGGS.

THIS HELPS THE U-S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BETTER REGULATE THE INDUSTRY SO BUYERS AREN’T DUPED INTO PURCHASING MIS-LABELED OR ILLEGALLY-OBTAINED ROE.  YET DESALLE SAYS THIS DOES NOT MEAN CONSUMERS SHOULD REST EASY – HE SUGGESTS LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE COMPLEX ECONOMICS, BIOLOGY, AND POLITICS OF THE CAVIAR TRADE AT CAVIAR-EMPTOR-DOT-ORG. 

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM.      

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org