Fish and chip shops in the UK are selling endangered shark species under vague labels, according to a University of Exeter study published Thursday.

The research analysed 78 samples from chip shops and 39 from fishmongers, mostly in southern England.

Most chip shop fish sold under generic names such as huss, rock, flake and rock salmon turned out to be spiny dogfish, a shark species classified as Endangered in Europe.

Other species being sold include starry smooth-hounds (pictured in these still images), nursehounds and blue sharks.

Today news has broken that UK fish and chip shops have been selling endangered sharks. A study* analysed 78 samples from chip shops and 39 from fishmongers, mostly in southern England. Most chip shop fish sold under generic names such as huss, rock, flake and rock salmon turned out to be spiny dogfish, a shark species classified as Endangered in Europe by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list. Endangered. That's the same criteria as a Amur Tiger.

Pictured here is another species sold under the confusing name 'huss' despite it being shark - in these instances Starry Smooth-Hound. These images were captured to raise awareness amongst the British public that they may be consuming shark. The sharks were bought legally in the UK and the sharks were then used for DNA profiling.

Link to the scientific paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-38270-3