Use and misuse of CITES as a management tool for commercially-exploited aquatic species

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement aimed at ensuring that international trade in wild animals and plants does not endanger the survival of species. Application of the Convention has proven to be controversial in some instances, including in the regulation of certain commercially-exploited aquatic species. Some countries hold differing views on the desirable role of CITES for such species and under what circumstances they should be listed on a CITES Appendix. In the late 1990s increasing concerns by some CITES parties about the status of some important resources for fisheries led to a review by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the CITES listing criteria for application to these species and the process of decision-making on listing proposals. The key FAO recommendations were incorporated into revised listing criteria adopted by CITES in 2004. The regular assessment of listing proposals for aquatic species by FAO-convened Expert Panels was also initiated at that time. These developments have not resolved the underlying differences of opinion and, in contrast, became an additional target of controversy. CITES Parties on both sides of the issue have tended to use the FAO recommended criteria and Panel assessments selectively, following them when they have matched their own preferences on specific proposals and circumventing or challenging them when they have not. This paper examines the attitudes and objectives of countries in relation to the use of CITES and the role of scientific information in policy and decision-making. It notes that differences in the opinions of countries on fundamental issues remain unresolved. These include the appropriate relationship between CITES and national and regional fisheries management agencies and the potential contribution of regulation of trade to fisheries management. The paper concludes with several recommendations aimed at improving the effective and efficient use of the Convention, in particular that greater attention should be given to the likely effectiveness of listing commercially-exploited species on CITES when deciding on listing proposals.