Frog Legs

June 23, 2008

Scientists estimate that the global trade in frog legs is worth about 50 million dollars per year.

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Transcript

BOB HIRSHON (host):
Frogs as food…I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

Frog legs might not top your list of culinary delights, but they’re pretty popular in some parts of the world. Conservation biologist Brian Gratwicke of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. explains.

BRIAN GRATWICKE (Smithsonian National Zoological Park):
The global trade in frogs’ legs is worth 50 million dollars per year. Between 1996 and 2006 the global international export of frogs’ legs exceeded a quarter of a billion dollars, and 90 million kilograms of frogs’ legs, so global exports over the last decasde have accounted for 1.8 to 4.5 billion animals.

HIRSHON:
And frog legs aren’t just an upper-class commodity. A variety of cultures routinely hunt frogs to supplement their local diet. With amphibians in sharp decline worldwide, scientists are beginning to examine the impact that frog harvests have on their conservation. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.