Shark shortage sparks vaccine supply fears

Catherine Bell, Director of International Policy at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), said demand for squalene has created a trade in sharks which were previously only brought to the surface by trawler crews as accidental by-catch.

“The unregulated trade in squalene […] has caused populations of these sharks to crash with many now classified as critically endangered,” she said.

“Products in cosmetic stores, pharmacies and even our own homes are driving these pre-historic animals to extinction – and many people have no idea.

“These new protections offer them a lifeline. Controls on international trade are necessary to drive improvements in fisheries management and give these mysterious creatures a fighting chance of survival.”

Squalene is also used in sunscreen, face cream, nicotine patches and haemorrhoid treatments. It occurs naturally in human skin sebum, which is what makes it so popular for cosmetic products.

At the CITES conference in Uzbekistan, 86 per cent of participating states voted in favour of protections for gulper sharks in a motion led by the UK delegation.

Under the new regulations, fisheries will have to document the capture of gulper sharks, or face fines if they are caught illegally hunting the protected fish.

A paper published in the Swiss journal Pharmaceuticals in 2022, From Sharks to Yeasts: Squalene in the Development of Vaccine Adjuvants, noted that squalene emulsions made by Novartis, GSK and Sanofi have been approved for use in both seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines.

Novartis developed the first squalene adjuvant, MF59, which was found to boost innate and adaptive immune responses.

The Portuguese authors of the study stated that: “Immunocompromised populations, such as patients undergoing haemodialysis or chemotherapy, benefit the most from the inclusion of adjuvants in vaccines, as these boost their inherently weak immune response.”

According to the market research firm Grand View, the global squalene market was estimated to be worth $150 million in 2023.

Demand from the pharmaceutical industry increased massively as firms searched for an effective Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that approximately 2,500 to 3,000 sharks are needed to harvest one ton of squalene. By contrast, up to 1,250 tons of olive oil, depending on the level of refining, are needed for the same amount.

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