CITES CoP16 Digest - Species Survival Network

DOCUMENT BACKGROUND / CURRENT STATUS EFFECT OF DOCUMENT SSN VIEW
80
Continued
Continued
• recommendations that range States register
exporters and that Secretariat maintain a database
of exporters;
• requirement that range States submit scientific
data used to establish catch and export quotas; and
• requirements for how quotas for shared stocks are
developed.
• SSN therefore opposes any weakening of requirements
for trade, particularly deletion of requirements that range
States register exporters, submit the scientific data used
to establish quotas, and meet requirements for how
quotas for shared stocks are developed. We note that
zero quotas have been established for a number of range
States that have failed to comply with the provisions for
shared stocks.
61. Sharks and stingrays
CoP16 Doc. 61
• RC 12.6 (Rev. CoP15) on Conservation and management
of sharks (Class Chondrichtyes), inter alia,
directs the AC to report progress on shark and ray
activities at CoPs.
• Prepared by the AC.
• Proposes draft Decisions that, inter alia:
• direct Secretariat to issue a Notification to Parties
requesting them to summarize their domestic laws/
regulations that prohibit landing or trade of shark
species and products and post these on the CITES
website;
• direct Secretariat to collaborate with FAO to
develop a single source of information on Regional
Fisheries Management Organization measures for
shark conservation and management; and
• encourage the Parties to engage with the work of
CMS, particularly for shark species listed under
CITES and CMS.
• Proposes minor amendments to RC12.6 (Rev. CoP15),
including, inter alia:
• directing AC to examine only new information on
these species; and
• directing Parties to provide catch and trade data to relevant
national, regional and international authorities.
• Provides results of a questionnaire on States’ National
Plans of Action (NPOA)-Sharks, and shark management
and research (Annex 1); and conclusions of
FAO’s review of implementation of International Plan
of Action for the Conservation and Management of
Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) (Annex 2).
SUPPORT
• SSN strongly supports the Secretariat’s statement that
the 29th session of FAO’s Committee on Fisheries showed
that, “harvest-related measures and trade-related measures
could and should be used in tandem, where appropriate,
to ensure the successful management of sharks
and stingrays”.
• SSN is concerned that 31% of the top shark-catching
countries have yet to devise and implement NPOAs for
sharks though FAO instructed States to develop plans by
2001; and that only 12 of 26 major shark-fishing nations
replied to the questionnaire developed and distributed by
FAO and CITES Secretariats.
• SSN supports FAO’s confirmation that “IUU (illegal, unreported
and unregulated) fishing posed a significant threat
to vulnerable sharks” and urges the Secretariat to follow
up on this to identify linkages between IUU fishing of
sharks and shark product trade with a view to SC imposing
trade suspensions on those States that continue to allow
IUU fishing of sharks to be carried out under their flag(s).
• SSN notes that the issue of commodity codes has been
under discussion since CoP12 and regrets the slow progress
of attempts to improve Parties’ understanding of
international trade in shark products. SSN urges Parties to
direct the Secretariat to proactively encourage the World
Customs Organization to urgently resolve the issue of
species-specific codes.
62. Humphead wrasse
Cop16 Doc. 62
• Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulates) is Endangered,
“the most serious threat to this species is overfishing
for the live fish export trade” (IUCN 2012); a total of
22,700 live individuals entered international trade
from 2007-2009 (CITES Trade Database); majority
from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Continued
• Prepared by the Chair of the SC WG on Humphead
Wrasse.
• Proposes amendments to Decision 15.87 (Annex)
including that the WG “consider whether it is necessary”
to ask range Parties and importing Parties to
provide information on their actions taken to ensure
effective Appendix II listing of the species.
Continued
SUPPORT
• SSN recommends that the Parties adopt the amended
Decision.
• However, the WG’s work does not appear to have resulted
in effective action to address unsustainable exploitation
of humphead wrasse; we recommend that the Decision
Continued