Data from: Species and hybrid identification of sturgeon caviar: a new molecular approach to detect illegal trade

Overexploitation of wild populations due to the high economic value of
caviar has driven sturgeons to near extinction. The high prices commanded
by caviar on world markets have made it a magnet for illegal and
fraudulent caviar trade, often involving low-value farmed caviar being
sold as top-quality caviar. We present a new molecular approach for the
identification of pure sturgeon species and hybrids that are among the
most commercialized species in Europe and North America. Our test is based
on the discovery of species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs) in the ribosomal protein S7, supplemented with the Vimentin gene
and the mitochondrial D-loop. Test validations performed in 702 specimens
of target and nontarget sturgeon species demonstrated a 100%
identification success for Acipenser naccarii, A. fulvescens, A.
stellatus, A. sinensis and A. transmontanus. In addition to species
identification, our approach allows the identification of Bester and AL
hybrids, two of the most economically important hybrids in the world, with
80% and 100% success, respectively. Moreover, the approach has the
potential to identify many other existing sturgeon hybrids. The
development of a standardized sturgeon identification tool will directly
benefit trade law enforcement, providing the tools to monitor and regulate
the legal trade of caviar and protect sturgeon stocks from illicit
producers and traders, hence contributing to safeguarding this group of
heavily threatened species.