Franche-Comté, France
French police said this week that they had busted a ring of poachers who were hunting frogs out of season. Seven people were arrested for illegally harvesting wild frogs, and at least one restaurant owner faces possible charges for receiving contraband. Frog legs are a delicacy in France, but overfishing has caused a dramatic drop in availability. More than 90 percent of the frogs on French tables are imported from Eastern Europe. Since true gourmets prefer the richer flavor of local frogs, a black market has sprung up. “Frogs are being poached in the thousands,” said Didier Ory, an investigator with the fisheries protection service.
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