CITES in the new millennium - IUCN

Marine resources
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Global trade threatens marine species around the world, as over-exploitation
combines with climate change and habitat destruction to deplete essential
resources. According to FAO, some 75% of the world’s fish stocks are fully or
over-exploited. Accordingly, at the recent Earth Summit in Johannesburg the
world community committed themselves to restoring fisheries to their maximum
sustainable yield levels by 2015. From sharks to sturgeon to seahorses, marine
species are rising higher on the international agenda.
Fisheries: finding the right balance
Kevern Cochrane
Shark fins drying for market in the Philippines.
FAO’s shark plan: good intentions, little progress
Modern fishing technology and improved access to world markets have
together caused an increase in fishing effort and catches of sharks,
skates and rays. More than 100 countries report shark landings to
FAO each year, with 18 reporting annual landings of more than 10,000
tonnes/yr.
Recognising the need for international cooperation to manage shark
fisheries, in February 1999 FAO adopted the International Plan of Action
for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, as endorsed by
the FAO Committee on Fisheries.
Today, more than three years later, only 29 states have reported any
progress implementing the plan. Of these, just five states have Shark
Assessment Reports (SAR) or National Plans of Action (NPOA) available
for public consultation and review. All of the national plans reviewed
fail to meet some of the standards recommended by FAO.
Visit http://www.fao.org/fi/ipa/manage1.asp
– Alison Rosser
With a few exceptions, CITES has so far had little
impact on commercial fisheries around the world.
There are signs that this could change, however, and
this has led to concern among some member countries
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO) that the CITES listing criteria
might not be appropriate to deal with exploited
and managed fishery resources. They brought these
concerns to a meeting of the FAO Committee on
Fisheries (COFI) Sub-Committee on Fish Trade in
Bremen, Germany in June 1998.
This was the start of a long and productive scientific
review by FAO of the CITES criteria and listing
process as applied to commercially-exploited aquatic
species.
Dissenting views
In spite of progress, there is still disagreement among
FAO members as to the role and function of CITES
in relation to commercially exploited aquatic species.
Some countries have reservations about CITES
involvement in resources exploited by fisheries, believing
that FAO and the mandated regional fisheries
management organizations (RFMOs) are the
appropriate international bodies on fisheries and
fisheries management.
However, other countries see a useful role for
CITES in fisheries management as a supplement to,
but not a replacement for, traditional fisheries management.
This dissent reflects similar disparities at the national
level and the FAO process has highlighted the
need in many countries for improved communication
between the fisheries authorities and those responsible
for CITES-related matters.
Call for change
At a meeting in 2002, the COFI Sub-Committee agreed
that there is a need for important changes in the
22 World Conservation 3/2002
WWF-CANON/JURGEN FREUND