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COFI:FT/VII/2000/Inf.6





COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES

SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISH TRADE

Sixth Session

Bremen, 3-6 June 1998

Aquatic Products in CITES

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

1. Various aspects of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) have been on the agenda of the Sub-Committee on Fish Trade during its Third (1990, Fourth (1993) and Fifth (1996) Sessions, and specific action and cooperation between FAO and CITES was recommended by COFI during its 21st (1995) and 22nd (1997) Sessions. Furthermore, the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 6 to 20 June 1997 discussed and adopted decisions on several subjects relevant for international trade in fishery products and therefore of interest to the Sub-Committee. The purpose of this paper is therefore to provide an overview of the current situation of certain species under CITES and about possible developments until the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties scheduled for late 1999 in Indonesia.

2. The material described here is taken from the publications CITES Decisions and CITES Resolutions issued by the CITES Secretariat in October 1997.

TENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO CITES

DECISIONS THAT REMAIN IN EFFECT

"Regarding the biological and trade status of sharks"

3. "10.48 To achieve effective implementation of Resolution Conf. 9.17:

    1. the Parties concerned should, in collaboration with FAO and regional fisheries organizations, improve methods to accurately identify, by species, record and report landings of sharks from directed fisheries and sharks taken as a by-catch in another fishery;
    2. Parties that have a shark fishery and/or trade in sharks and shark parts and derivatives should establish appropriate species-specific recording and reporting systems for all sharks that are landed as a directed catch or a by-catch;
    3. Parties that have a shark fishery should initiate efforts to:
      1. collect species-specific data on landings, discards and fishing effort;
      2. compile information on life-history and biological parameters such as growth rate, life span, sexual maturity, fecundity and stock-recruitment relationships of sharks taken in their fisheries;
      3. document the distribution of sharks by age and sex, as well as their seasonal movements and interactions between populations; and
      4. reduce mortality of sharks captured incidentally in the course of other fishing activities; and
    4. the Parties concerned are encouraged to initiate management of shark fisheries at the national level and establish international regional bodies to co-ordinate management of shark fisheries throughout the geographic range of species that are subject to exploitation, in order to ensure that international trade is not detrimental to the long-term survival of shark populations.

4. "10.73 The CITES Animals Committee, together with the CITES Secretariat, shall co-operate in the expert consultation organized by the FAO Committee on Fisheries to develop and propose guidelines leading to a plan of action for the conservation and effective management of sharks, in an effort to further the implementation of Resolution Conf. 9.17".

5. "10.74 The Chairman of the Animals Committee shall serve as liaison with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and with intergovernmental fisheries management and/or research organizations in relation to all activities concerning the implementation of Resolution Conf. 9 17."

6. "10.93 To achieve effective implementation of Resolution Conf. 9.17, it is suggested that FAO should:

    1. as a matter of urgency, initiate a work programme involving:
      1. changing the manner in which it requests members to record and report data on shark landings;
      2. updating the Shark World Species Catalogue and the 1978 Shark Utilization and Marketing Monograph; and
      3. continuing a consultancy, commenced in 1996, to design and undertake an inquiry into the availability of biological and trade data on sharks;
      4. finalizing and publishing the World Catalogue of Rajiformes;
    2. transmit the results of the consultancy to the CITES Secretariat for circulation to and comment by the Parties to the Convention; and
    3. encourage its member States that have a shark fishery, or a fishery that takes sharks as a by-catch, to implement the principles and practices elaborated in:
      1. the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries;
      2. the FAO Precautionary Approach to Fisheries, Part 1: Guidelines on the Precautionary Approach to Capture Fisheries and Species Introductions; and
      3. the FAO Code of Practice for the Full Utilization of Sharks."

7. "10.126: To achieve effective implementation of Resolution Conf. 9. 17, the Secretariat shall:

    1. in an effort to improve statistics on trade in sharks and shark parts and derivatives and in collaboration with FAO, consult the World Customs Organization to establish more specific headings within the standard six-digit Customs tariff headings adopted under the Harmonized System tariff classification, to discriminate between shark meat, fins, leather, cartilage and other products;
    2. circulate to the Parties for comments the results transmitted to it of the consultancy mentioned in Decision 10.93, paragraph a) ii);
    3. together with the CITES Animals Committee, co-operate in the expert consultation organized by the FAO Committee on Fisheries to develop and propose guidelines leading to a plan of action for the conservation and effective management of sharks; and
    4. communicate the relevant recommendations to FAO and other intergovernmental fisheries management and/or research organizations and establish liaison with them to monitor implementation of these recommendations."

RESOLUTIONS THAT REMAIN IN EFFECT

"Status of international trade in shark species"

8. Conf. 9.17

"NOTING the increase in the international trade in parts and derivatives of sharks, and the document on this issue (Doc. 9.58) submitted by the United States of America;

CONCERNED that some shark species are heavily utilized around the world for their fins, skins and meat;

NOTING that levels of exploitation in some cases are unsustainable and may be detrimental to the long-term survival of certain shark species;

NOTING that, at present, sharks are not specifically managed or conserved by any multilateral or regional agreement for the management of marine fisheries;

NOTING further the ongoing initiatives to foster international cooperation in the management of fisheries resources;

CONCERNED that the international trade in parts and products of sharks lacks adequate monitoring and control;

RECOGNIZING that the members of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Shark Specialist Group are currently reviewing the status of sharks and the global trade in their parts and derivatives in the course of developing an action plan on shark conservation;

CONSIDERING that the Conference of the Parties has competence to consider any species subject to international trade;

RECOGNIZING that other intergovernmental organizations and bodies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the international Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), have undertaken efforts to collect elaborate statistical data on catches and landings of diverse marine species, including sharks;

RECOGNIZING further that the collection of species-specific data is a complex task, considering that there are some 100 species of sharks being exploited both commercially and for recreation, and that numerous countries utilize this marine resource;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

URGES the Parties to submit to the Secretariat all available information concerning the trade and biological status of sharks, including historical catch and trade data on shark fisheries;

DIRECTS the Animals Committee, with the assistance of experts as may be needed to:

    1. review such information, and information made available through consultation with FAO and other international fisheries management organizations and, where appropriate, to include information made available by non-governmental organizations;
    2. summarize the biological and trade status of sharks subject to international trade; and
    3. prepare a discussion paper on the biological and trade status of sharks, at least six months prior to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties; and

REQUESTS:

    1. FAO and other international fisheries management organizations to establish programmes to further collect and assemble the necessary biological and trade data on shark species, and that such additional information be provided no later than six months prior to the 11th. meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
    2. all nations utilizing and trading specimens of shark species to co-operate with FAO and other international fisheries management organizations, and to assist developing States in the collection of species-specific data; and
    3. FAO and other international fisheries management organizations to fully inform the CITES Secretariat of progress on collection, elaboration and analyses of data."

"Conservation of Sturgeons"

9. Resolution Conf. 10.12

"AWARE that sturgeons (Acipenseriformes) represent a very valuable renewable biological and economic resource;

RECOGNIZING that in recent years their numbers and status have been affected by such negative factors as regulation of water flow, decrease in natural spawning sites, poaching and illegal trade in sturgeon caviar and other specimens;

AWARE also that some range States are not yet party to CITES and that this fact could adversely affect the conservation of sturgeons;

NOTING that more scientific studies are urgently needed in order to assess the sustainability of sturgeon fisheries management;

CONSIDERING that Eurasian range States of sturgeons are in need of funds in order to develop management programmes for sturgeon conservation;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

URGES the range States of species in the order Acipenseriformes to:

    1. encourage scientific research particularly in the Eurasian region to promote the sustainability of sturgeon fisheries through management programmes;
    2. curtail the actual illegal fishing and export of sturgeon specimens by improving the enforcement of existing laws regulating fisheries and export in close contact with the CITES Secretariat, ICPO-Interpol and the World Customs Organization;
    3. explore ways of enhancing the participation of representatives of all agencies responsible for sturgeon fisheries in conservation and sustainable-use programmes for these species; and
    4. promote regional agreements between range States of sturgeon species aiming at proper management and sustainable utilization of sturgeons;

RECOMMENDS:

    1. that Parties provide the Secretariat with copies of applicable legislation on CITES, including legislation on sturgeon species, particularly referring to the export of personal effects (property);
    2. that range States inform the Secretariat about legal exporters of sturgeon parts and derivatives;
    3. that importing countries be particularly vigilant in controlling the unloading of sturgeon specimens;
    4. that Parties ensure that all their relevant agencies cooperate in establishing the necessary organization, scientific and control mechanisms needed to implement the provisions of the Convention with respect to the sturgeon, and in any projects designed to conserve sturgeon species;
    5. that Parties consider the harmonization of their national legislation related to personal exemptions for caviar, to allow for the personal effects exemption under Article VII, paragraph 3, and consider limiting this exemption to no more than 250 g per person;
    6. that range States of sturgeon species included in Appendix II in accordance with Article II, paragraph 2(a), consider the feasibility of establishing annual export quotas for sturgeon specimens and, if they are established, communicate such quotas to the Secretariat;
    7. that Parties monitor the storage, processing and re-packaging of sturgeon specimens in Customs free zones and free ports, and for airline and cruise line catering;
    8. that the Secretariat, in consultation with the Animals Committee, explore the development of a uniform marking system for sturgeon parts and derivatives and aquaculture stocks to assist in subsequent identification of the species while consulting with appropriate experts in fisheries, aquaculture and industry, and particularly in collaboration with range States; and
    9. that the Animals Committee consider the trade in sturgeon specimens in the context of the review of significant trade, pursuant to Resolution Conf. 8.9; and

URGES:

    1. the range States, in collaboration with the Secretariat and other international organizations from both industry and the conservation community, with external funding, to develop a strategy including action plans for the conservation of Eurasian sturgeon species; and
    2. Parties, international organizations, United Nations Specialized Agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and industry to provide financial assistance for projects on sturgeon species developed by the range States in collaboration with the Secretariat."

OTHER ITEMS CONCERNING AQUATIC PRODUCTS DISCUSSED

10. The 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES discussed several proposals concerning whales and sawfishes, and a proposal to establish in CITES a Marine Species Working Group. None of these proposals achieved the majority required for adoption. Therefore, the provisions concerning the trade in certain species and stocks of whales and in whale products remain unchanged. The sawfishes are not listed in Appendix I.

11. There will be no Marine Species Working Group in CITES for the time being. In this connection the Sub-Committee may note the following conclusions of COFI at its 22nd Session in March 1997 (paragraph 18 of the Report):

"The Committee, having been informed of the proposal to create the marine species working group in the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), reaffirmed that it was the mandate of FAO and of regional fishery bodies to take responsibility for collecting data, formulating research needs and recommending management options."

CURRENT LISTING OF SPECIES IN CITES APPENDICES

12. Document COFI:FT/V/96/5 contained in Appendix II information about the listing of aquatic species in the Appendices I and II of CITES. This list is still valid at the time of writing (February 1998) but will change to include all sturgeon species pursuant to Resolution 10.12 reproduced in paragraph 8 above and which was to become effective on 1 April 1998.

OUTLOOK

13. The work being organized by FAO in response to Resolution Conf. 9.17 is to convene a technical working group in April 1998, to be followed by an FAO Consultation on conservation and management of sharks in October 1998. The results of the Consultation will be submitted to COFI in February 1999. It is expected that COFI will adopt a plan of action and the FAO Secretariat will finalize a set of Technical Guidelines on the subject. The question of sharks is expected to appear again on the 11th meeting of the Conference of the parties to CITES towards the end of 1999.

14. In addition, work currently undertaken by FAO includes the preparation of case studies on shark fisheries management and revised editions of the world shark species catalogue and of the monograph shark utilization and marketing. These publications and the guidelines for shark conservation and management (elaborated in conjunction with the activities mentioned in paragraph 13) are expected to be available in final printed version in time for the Twenty-third session of COFI in February 1999.