Ethical Product Information

The sustainability and ethics of the ingredient shark cartilage is a question that comes up from time to time.

Squalus Acanthias Cartilage (squalus acanthias is the Latin name) does have the unfortunate trade name of Shark Cartilage but is NOT derived from endangered sharks. 

Shark Cartilage comes from Spiny Dogfish (which used to be called dogfish shark), and is NOT endangered. This species is used for food such as fish and chips in Europe. Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) is caught inadvertently in waters around the world and used as a cheaper fish, like a haddock. It is a food first and is still in abundance.

The cartilage of the Spiny Dogfish is used as a bi-product of this fishing and is abundant in inventories in raw form as a natural supplement in the nutraceutical industry. There is a solid supply of this raw material in various grades, which depend on the cleaning method. The better quality product has not been irradiated to the point that the natural protein, mucopolysaccharides, and other ingredients remain intact.

The only shark cartilage of use in a nutraceutical capacity comes from spiny dogfish as it contains the highest level of natural protein. In the 1990s, tests were done with other sharks, and the potency of the cartilage was much poorer, and the cartilage was more difficult to work with. Thus, endangered shark species are not a good source of shark cartilage anyway. 

Shark cartilage has nothing to do with shark fins or shark fin soup, and is not a bi-product of that fishing or hunting industry. At Pet Wonder, we only deal with certified raw material source suppliers, and receive certificates of origin and analyses for all of our ingredients.

It is important to keep in mind that the Squalus Acantius Cartilage is the key ingredient in our products. The natural protein level often reaches 30 to 35% and acts much like a B12 shot or boost. This is the ingredient that demonstrates the visible results in increased energy, as well as addressing arthritic conditions. Our products have been in production for over 20 years.