Isinglass Isinglass Isinglass () is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish. It is a form of collagen used mainly for the clarification or fining of some beer and wine. It can also be cooked into a paste for specialised gluing purposes. Its origin is from the obsolete Dutch "huizenblaas" – "huizen" is a kind of sturgeon, and "blaas" is a bladder, or German "hausen blas", meaning essentially the same. Although originally made exclusively from sturgeon, especially beluga, in 1795 an invention by William Murdoch facilitated a cheap substitute using cod. This was extensively used in Britain in
Piracy off the coast of Venezuela 2017, piracy grew in Lake Maracaibo, with bandits attempting to rob and kill boaters in the area for their possessions. Croakers, valuable fish caught in the waters that contain swim bladders rich in collagen, are often targeted by pirates in the area to be sold in international markets. The Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela, according to locals, rarely patrols the waters. Pirates would also strip equipment from PDVSA oil facilities near Lake Maracaibo's waters. In total, 71 incidents of piracy occurred in Venezuelan waters according to OBP, a 163% increase. Reports of Venezuelan pirates attacking luxury yachts in the Caribbean began