Manta Rays threatened by Traditional Chinese Medicine
Demand for the gills of manta and mobula rays has risen dramatically in the past 10 years for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), even though they were not historically used for this purpose, a team of researchers from the conservation organizations Shark Savers and WildAid has discovered.
“We first came across manta and mobula ray gills in Asian markets several years ago, and followed the trail to the dried seafood markets of southern China,” Manta Ray of Hope Project lead investigator Paul Hilton said in a prepared statement (pdf) released on January 14. Specifically, the market was for gill rakers, the thin filaments that manta and mobula rays use to filter food from the water, which are being sold for up to $500 per kilogram. TCM practitioners are marketing the rakers—known locally as peng yu sai—as an ingredient for soup that they claim boosts the immune system by reducing toxins and enhancing blood circulation. Other supposed medical benefits include curing cancer, chickenpox, throat and skin ailments, male kidney issues and, as we often see with TCM, fertility issues.
None of these purported medical claims are supported by science nor are they supported by traditional Chinese medicine texts. According to the report, “One TCM practitioner interviewed reviewed all 6,400 remedies of the official TCM reference manual and found that peng yu sai was not listed.
Tip: CarlZimmer on Twitter
This is highly disturbing. The list of animals falling prey to the nonsense of Traditional Chinese (Asian) meds is horrifying and growing more dismal all the time. The curious factoid is how utterly moronic the use of rays is. The catch is undervalued. The global tourism value of rays is far greater than their value for TCM, at more than $100 million yearly.
A 2009 IUCN study found that nearly a third of all ocean sharks and ray species are at risk of extinction. Along with shark, turtles, geckos, rhinos, tigers, and lions are also at risk. And other animals are abused, such as bears.
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