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.由于鱼子酱极高的经济价值，野生鲟鱼种群遭到过度捕捞，已濒临灭绝。鱼子酱在国际市场上的高昂售价使其成为非法与假冒鱼子酱贸易的重灾区，此类贸易常将低价值养殖鱼子酱冒充顶级品质鱼子酱进行售卖。本研究提出一种全新的分子鉴定方法，可用于识别欧洲与北美地区商业化程度最高的纯种鲟鱼品种及其杂交品种。该检测方法基于核糖体蛋白S7基因中物种特异性单核苷酸多态性（Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms，SNPs）的发现，并辅以波形蛋白基因（Vimentin gene）与线粒体D-loop（mitochondrial D-loop）作为补充标记。针对702份靶标与非靶标鲟鱼标本开展的验证实验结果显示，本方法对于意大利鲟（Acipenser naccarii）、密西西比鲟（A. fulvescens）、闪光鲟（A. stellatus）、中华鲟（A. sinensis）以及高首鲟（A. transmontanus）的鉴定准确率可达100%。除物种鉴定外，本方法还可识别全球经济价值最高的两种杂交鲟——贝斯特杂交鲟（Bester hybrid）与AL杂交鲟（AL hybrid），二者的鉴定准确率分别可达80%与100%。此外，该方法还具备识别其他多种现存鲟鱼杂交品种的潜力。标准化鲟鱼鉴定工具的开发将直接惠及贸易执法领域，为监管与规范鱼子酱合法贸易、保护鲟鱼种群免受非法生产与贸易的侵害提供技术支撑，进而助力保护这一受到严重威胁的鱼类类群。