The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the report of the fourth FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species, held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 3-8 December 2012.
January 2013: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the report of the fourth FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species. The meeting convened at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 3-8 December 2012.
The Panel was convened in response to the agreement by the 25th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) on the terms of reference for an expert advisory panel for assessment of proposals to CITES, and in response to the endorsement of the 26th session of COFI to convene the Panel for relevant proposals to future meetings of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP). The Panel aimed to: assess seven proposals submitted to the 16th meeting of the CoP to CITES from a scientific perspective in accordance with the CITES biological listing criteria; comment, as appropriate, on technical aspects of the proposal in relation to biology, ecology, trade and management issues, as well as, to the extent possible, the likely effectiveness for conservation.
On CoP16 Prop. 42, the Panel concluded that, based on the available evidence, Carcharhinus longimanus (oceanic whitetip shark) meets the biological criteria for listing in CITES Appendix II in accordance with Article II paragraph 2(a).
On CoP16 Prop. 43, the Panel concluded that based on the available evidence, Sphyrna lewini (scalloped hammerhead shark) meets the biological criteria for listing on CITES Appendix II in accordance with Article II 2(a). The Panel further concluded that the other two proposed species, Sphyrna mokarran (great hammerhead shark) and Sphyrna zygaena (smooth hammerhead shark) fulfill the criteria for inclusion under CITES Appendix II stipulated in Article II, paragraph 2b (“look-alike clause”).
On CoP16 Prop. 44, on the inclusion of Lamna nasus (porbeagle shark), the majority of Panel members considered that the species as a whole meets the decline criteria for Appendix II, in accordance with Article II 2(a). When evaluated on a population-by-population basis, the historically large porbeagle populations in the North Atlantic (Northeast and Northwest) and the Mediterranean Sea were considered to meet the Appendix II decline criterion. Assessments for the Southwest Atlantic region indicated substantial declines, but the results were too uncertain to determine whether porbeagle in this region meets the decline criterion for Appendix II. The status elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere was considered to be above the Appendix II decline thresholds.
On CoP16 Prop. 45, the Panel found the available information indicates that Pristis microdon (freshwater sawfish) meets the biological criteria for transfer of the species from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES in accordance with Article II, paragraph 1.
On CoP16 Prop. 46, on the inclusion of the genus Manta in Appendix II in accordance with Article II paragraph 2(a), the Panel noted that considering the paucity of reliable information on a historical or recent decline of both species of manta, it was unable to identify reliable information to assess against the decline criteria throughout the range. It also could not comment on the projected trends of the populations, as any projections were likely to be speculative.
On CoP16 Prop. 47, on the inclusion of Paratrygon aiereba (the ceja river stingray) in Appendix II in accordance with Article II paragraph 2(a), the Panel noted that the supporting statement of the proposal included many unsubstantiated claims, making evaluation difficult. Considering the lack of information to infer population status and trends, the Panel was unable to evaluate whether the populations meet the biological criteria for a CITES Appendix II listing under decline.
On CoP16 Prop. 48, on the inclusion of Potamotrygon motoro and P. schroederi (freshwater stingrays) in Appendix II in accordance with Article II paragraph 2(a), the Panel concluded that evidence of decline in abundance is reported for Colombia, but not to the extent required for consideration in Appendix II. In Brazil, the Panel found that the available information indicates that populations showed no trend. It therefore concluded that the data available are not sufficient to determine whether the species qualify globally under the decline criteria. The two species are distributed across a large area of South America, although different for each species (thus, they cannot be considered under the restricted area criterion) and the populations do not appear to meet the criterion of a small population. [Publication: Fourth FAO Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species]