ShellBank - A Global Marine Turtle Genetic Database

One of the greatest challenges to tackling unsustainable trade and take of turtles is that we could not previously identify which populations were being targeted, or where they were being poached. We created ShellBank to fill this critical gap.

The World’s First traceability Toolkit and Global Database of Marine Turtle DNA

One of the greatest challenges to tackling unsustainable trade and take of turtles is that we could not previously identify which populations were being targeted, or where they were being poached. We created ShellBank to fill this critical gap. This game-changing tool aims to help conservationists, governments and researchers trace covert and underground marine turtle trade

Tracing Turtles from Sale to Source

Turtle-Shell-00728f

1. Sample turtle part or product

Tissue and shell samples are taken from live turtles and seized parts or products.

laptop dna blue

3. Sequence DNA

A section of the Mitochondrial DNA Control Region is amplified and sequenced from extracted DNA.

2. Extract DNA

DNA is extracted from collected samples.

sequence dna blue

4. DNA Fragment

The DNA sequence or “haplotype” of each item tested is added to the ShellBank databases.

A match in the reference database helps pinpoint likely source populations

5. DNA Analysis

Learn More

Cracking the Code

2019

Surrender Your Shell

2022

Shellbank Report

2022

Progress so far

+ 0
Samples
0
Locations
> 0
Trained
$ 0
Needed

Stay Afloat with Latest News