The development of certain Covid-19 vaccines could potentially lead to the slaughter of sharks, conservationists believe.
Hundreds of thousands of sharks at risk
An ingredient in some vaccines is squalene, an organic compound mainly found in the liver of deep sea sharks.
Squalene is used as an adjuvant in vaccines, which is an ingredient that helps create a stronger immune response in individuals receiving the vaccine.
Shark conservation group Shark Allies estimate that around 3,000 sharks are required to produce one tonne of squalene.
And in order to vaccinate the world's population of seven billion people, around 500,000 sharks would need to be killed.
This is assuming each person is administered two doses of the vaccine.
Here's the breakdown of the number of sharks that need to be killed for two different types of adjuvant.
Screenshot from Shark Allies
Sharks already threatened
Shark Allies stated that should squalene be sourced from sharks, the global shark population could see significant losses.
Squalene is typically sourced from deep sea sharks due to the high concentrations found in the liver oil of these sharks.
To exacerbate this, deep sea sharks like the basking shark and gulper shark are classified as vulnerable.
The general shark population is also already threatened by a host of other issues, such as fishing and hunting for shark fins.
Not only can squalene be used in vaccines, the cosmetic industry is the biggest consumer of the compound. Shark Allies believes that around 2.7 million shark lives are taken every year for cosmetics.
The conservation group is thus advocating for squalene to be produced using more sustainable sources, such as plants and fungi.
Research into these processes however, appears to be limited, Shark Allies said.
Nevertheless, some companies have made inroads towards conserving the shark population.
Telegraph reported that biotechnology California-based company Amryis had been producing synthetic squalene for their cosmetic products for years.
They are now hoping to apply this technology in the vaccine industry to reduce their reliance on shark fishing.
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Top photo from Unsplash