The Smithsonian Institution is now exhibiting the shark fin DNA research of Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center professor Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D. The exhibit is located at The Sant Ocean Hall of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Shivji, who is the director of the Oceanographic Center’s Guy Harvey Research Institute, created a DNA test that is able to identify which shark species a fin came from in a matter of hours. His pioneering test helped the U.S. Department of Justice successfully prosecute a Florida man for his involvement in dealing shark fins of species that are prohibited to harvest under Florida and federal laws.