The Use of CITES for Commercially-exploited Fish Species


Book Description

This book examines the legality, adequacy and efficacy of using the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for commercially-exploited fish species and assesses whether the existing institutional cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) is efficient. This case-study also provides an interesting lens to approaching wider international law issues. Indeed, finding ways to achieve effective governance of transboundary or global natural resources is central to the peaceful use of oceans and land. Furthermore, the role of science in advising decision-makers is a sensitive issue, which deserves scrutiny and is similar in many regimes. Finally, the complex problem of fragmentation of international law is acute in various fields of environmental law, as in all rapidly developing areas of international regulations.




CITES and the sea


Book Description

Fish and fish products are amongst the most highly traded food items in the world today, with most of the world’s countries reporting some fish trade. This assessment of commercial trade in CITES-listed marine species occurs within a broader context of globalization and a more general rapid expansion of the international trade in fish and fish products. It summarizes ten years (2007–2016) of trade in a subset of commercially exploited marine taxa listed in CITES Appendix II. We examine both CITES trade data reporting processes (including information on the practical elements of reporting by CITES Parties) and analyse CITES trade records. The analysis shows how, for Appendix II CITES-listed marine species, the overall number of direct export transactions reported by CITES Parties has increased sevenfold during 1990–2016 and how trade for each CITES-listed marine species sub-group has changed through time. An assessment is made, with assistance from species and trade experts, on the strengths and challenges of collating and reporting on trade in CITES-listed marine species. Additional datasets of relevance to marine species trade are highlighted, and recommendations for further refining and improving CITES trade reporting for marine species are provided.




Report of the Expert Consultation on Implementation Issues Associated with Listing Commercially Exploited Aquatic Species on CITES Appendices


Book Description

CITES = Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora










Report of the FAO Workshop to Review the Application of CITES Criterion Annex 2 a B to Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species


Book Description

The Workshop noted that the biological information provided by proposals to list commercially exploited aquatic species under CITES Appendix II was usually adequate. While the quantitative indicators provided by the proponents were mostly reliable, not all of them were used appropriately in the proposals (e.g. landings used as proxy for abundance). The Workshop also considered instances where the FAO Expert Advisory Panel was able to access additional information not included in the proposals and examples of data-poor species for which the FAO Expert Advisory Panel made flexible use of qualitative indicators. In conclusion, the FAO view that for both paragraphs of Annex 2 a the definitions, explanations and guidelines in Annex 5 of the Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP15) apply was endorsed by the Workshop.




Report of the Second FAO Ad Hoc Expert Advisory Panel for the Assessment of Proposals to Amend Appendices I and II of CITES Concerning Commercially-exploited Aquatic Species


Book Description

The Panel met in response to the agreement by the 25th and 26th sessions of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) to discuss proposals regarding the Convention on International Trade in endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), The objectives of the Panel were to assess each proposal from a scientific perspective in accordance with the CITES biological listing criteria; and to consider technical aspects of the proposal in relation to biology, ecology, trade and management issues, as well as the likely effectiveness for conservation. Seven proposals were evaluated by the Panel.




Guidelines for Legislation to Implement CITES


Book Description

This publication covers all the major aspects of CITES implementation, stresses the role of Resolutions and contains recommendations for specific measures that might be taken by the Parties. It is a reference for any Party that is faced with enacting legislation for the adequate implementation of CITES.




Strengthening International Fisheries Law in an Era of Changing Oceans


Book Description

This collection addresses the central question of how the current international framework for the regulation of fisheries may be strengthened in order to meet the challenges posed by changing fisheries and ocean conditions, in particular climate change. International fisheries law has developed significantly since the 1990s, through the adoption and establishment of international instruments and bodies at the global and regional levels. Global fish stocks nevertheless remain in a troubling state, and fisheries management authorities face a wide array of internal and external challenges, including operational constraints, providing effective management advice in the face of scientific uncertainty and non-compliance by States with their international obligations. This book examines these challenges and identifies options and pathways to strengthen international fisheries law. While it has a primarily legal focus, it also features significant contributions from specialists drawn from other disciplines, notably fisheries science, economics, policy and international relations, in order to provide a fuller context to the legal, policy and management issues raised. Rigorous and comprehensive in scope, this will be essential reading for lawyers and non-lawyers interested in international fisheries regulation in the context of profoundly changing ocean conditions.




Governance of Marine Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation


Book Description

Governance of Marine Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation explores governance of the world’s oceans with a focus on the impacts of two inter-connected but historically separate streams of governance: one for fisheries, the other for biodiversity conservation. Chapters, most co-authored by leading experts from both streams, investigate the interaction of these governance streams from ecological, economic, social and legal perspectives, with emphasis on policies, institutions processes, and outcomes on scales from the global to the local community, and with coverage of a range of themes and regions of the world. The book opens with chapters setting the historical context for the two marine governance streams, and framing the book’s exploration of whether, as the streams increasingly interact, there will be merger or collision, convergence or co-evolution. The concluding chapter synthesizes the insights from throughout the book, relative to the questions posed in the opening chapters. It also draws conclusions about future needs and directions in the governance of marine fisheries and biodiversity, vital to the future of the world’s oceans. With cutting edge chapters written by many leading international experts in fisheries management and biodiversity conservation, and edited by three leading figures in this crucially important subject, Governance of Marine Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation is an essential purchase for fisheries scientists, economists, resource managers and policymakers, and all those working in fields of biodiversity conservation, marine ecology, and coastal livelihoods. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where environmental and/or marine studies, conservation, ocean policy and law, biological and life sciences, and fisheries management are studied and taught, should have copies of this most important book.