Mitochondrial DNA Profiling to Combat the Illegal Trade in Tortoiseshell Products

Erin L. LaCasella*, Michael P. Jensen, Christine A. Madden Hof, Ian P. Bell, Amy Frey, Peter H. Dutton

*Kontaktforfatter

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

10 Citationer (Scopus)
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Abstract

Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are exploited for their beautiful shell known as tortoiseshell or bekko, making them extremely vulnerable in the illegal global trade of tortoiseshell products. In this study, we developed an effective, standardized method using a commercially available kit to extract DNA and obtain informative mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences (~800 bp) from hawksbill turtle products in order to trace the sample back to a likely stock origin. We also sequenced additional skin samples from nesting beaches of Milman Island, Australia and Arnavon Island, Solomon Islands to add to the baseline data for hawksbill turtles in the Indo-Pacific. Our results indicate that nine of the 13 tortoiseshell products obtained from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands were from turtles with haplotypes found primarily at the Solomon Islands rookery and did not match those from nesting populations in Australia or SE Asia, with the exception of one haplotype also found in 3% of turtles at Milman Island. We also found that 23% of the market samples have haplotypes only documented in foraging populations, which illustrates the urgent need for more extensive sampling of rookeries to fill gaps in the reference baseline database. Nevertheless, our study results demonstrate an effective methodology for obtaining DNA of sufficient quantity and quality from hawksbill turtle products.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer595853
TidsskriftFrontiers in Marine Science
Vol/bind7
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 25 jan. 2021

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This work was established under WWF's Marine Turtle Use and Trade Initiative Shell Bank project, coordinated and hosted by WWF-Australia (WWF-AU). All laboratory work was performed by the Marine Turtle Genetics Program at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) in La Jolla, USA. We wish to acknowledge J. Kinch (National Fisheries Authority, PNG), V. Rei (Conservation and Environment Protection Authority, PNG), K. Yaro (WWF-Papua New Guinea), S. Seeto (WWF-Solomon Islands), R. Hamilton and S. Vuto (The Nature Conservancy), and the Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area rangers for assisting and facilitating sample collection, storage and delivery. We thank G. Serra-Valente for sample curation, V. Pease and A. Lanci for laboratory management and assistance, and K. Robertson for providing input on the manuscript (SWFSC-USA). Funding. This project was a partnership and funded by WWF-AU, NOAA, and RCL Cruise Liners Ltd.

Funding Information:
This project was a partnership and funded by WWF-AU, NOAA, and RCL Cruise Liners Ltd.

Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2021 LaCasella, Jensen, Madden Hof, Bell, Frey and Dutton.

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