Deep-sea shark are often caught as a by catch. Sharks are mainly caught for food purpose.
Many parts of the shark can be valorised:
- Meat: for human consumption. In Asia it's often salted and dried and in Europe it's widely used in the fish and chips trade.
- Skin: in tanning industries. The resultant leather is durable and has a texture resembling crocodile skin.
- Fins: for soups. Shark fin soup is very popular in Asia, especially in China.
- Cartilage: for production of Condroitin and Condroitin Sulfate. Condroitin Sulfate is a cosmetic ingredient.
- Liver oil: for production of Squalene and alkylglycerols. After being hydrogenated Squalene becomes Squalane. Squalane is a cosmetic base.
Deap-sea sharks live on the bottom in waters 200 m to 2500 meters deep.
How can they survive under such conditions, where pressure is consistently high and oxygen supply is very poor? The secret lies in their liver which accounts for 25 % to 30 %
of their total body weight.
This liver contains a large quantity of oil and this oil is rich in
Squalene.
