International trade of seahorses, whale sharks and Caribbean queen conches is now regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
These species are commercially exploited - seahorses are valued worldwide as ornamental fish for display in aquariums and as an ingredient in traditional medicine, and demand for whale shark fins and the tender meat of queen conches is also high. In some places this has led to over-harvesting and concerns about the survival of the populations, so the international community has agreed to regulate their trade under CITES.
This means that a country that wishes to export live or dead seahorses, whale sharks or queen conches must first certify through CITES that they were legally harvested and that their trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
To ensure that controls for enforcing the listing are effectively implemented by all trading countries, CITES has teamed up with fisheries experts at FAO and with authorities in exporting countries in an effort to gauge the state of wild conch stocks, assess management practices more effectively, and ensure that only responsibly managed fisheries were participating in international trade. Doing so has made it easier for CITES to assess accurately where there is a problem and to help countries put controls in place as needed.
Building on this encouraging example, FAO and CITES are now also working together on other listed fish species (such as giant clams, sturgeon and humphead wrasse) as well as others that are being considered for a CITES listing, including sea cucumbers and several shark species.
CITES and FAO have now formalised their working relationship in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed yesterday by CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers and FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries Ichiro Nomura.
Under the MoU, FAO and CITES will review and consult together on the scientific, legal and technical evaluation of commercially exploited aquatic species listed or proposed for listing in the CITES Appendices.
For species that are already listed or set to become so, FAO will work with CITES and exporting countries to improve the monitoring and management of fisheries resources and help them ensure that exports only come from responsibly managed operations. FAO will also organize workshops and other activities to help national authorities strengthen fishery management across the board.
