The world’s frogs face yet another threat to their survival: overeating by humans.
A global team of researchers has estimated that the international trade in frog meat represents 200 million to 1 billion frogs eaten each year, or about 11,000 tons of frog meat.
The team analyzed commodity-trading data from the United Nations to obtain the best possible estimates of the international frog leg trade.
The largest destination for frog legs is, predictably, France. “Most people would probably be surprised that the U.S. is a very close second,” said study author Corey Bradshaw of the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Indonesia is the largest exporter by far. But international trade is only part of the picture. The researchers estimate that the domestic consumption of frogs in Indonesia dwarfs the nation’s exports by at least two- to seven-fold.
The threat from human consumption sits against the background of global amphibian decline. At least 30 percent of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction.
In an earlier study, the researchers analyzed data showing that habitat loss is by far the greatest contributor to decline. Disease and global warming are additional threats. But the contribution from hunting has been underestimated, the researchers suggest.
– from discovery. 27 Jan 2009