Hideoitii Tokunaga, TRAFFIC, Japan 



Berry, Donnelly, and Weber addressed the matters of 

 exploitation, trade in products, and incidental take, 

 respectively. 



The chair requested, prior to a break, that all participants 

 consider the possibility and applications of a total moratorium 

 on the taking of sea turtles. 



Open to the floor. 



MORTIMER; 



DONNELLY ; 



FRETEY ; 



DONNELLY; 



CHAVES ; 



MROSOVSKY ; 



DONNELLY I 



FULLER; 



The average weight of hawksbill shells in the 

 Seychelles is 1.5 kg. Variations in these weights 

 are due to the relative sizes of animals rather 

 than shell quality. 



Japanese imports of these products from the 

 Seychelles are relatively modest. 



Data sources for Japanese imports of turtle 

 products were questioned. France is trying to 

 limit trade in such products. Attention should be 

 focused on producers as well as consumers. 



Data sources are official Japanese import 

 statistics and some cooperating Japanese dealers. 



No law is preferable to an unenforced law. Costa 

 Rica has a new law that in just 2 years has 

 reduced captures significantly. 



The use of the word "exploitation" to connote, 

 among other things, the use of turtles to provide 

 money or food to people who need these things was 

 questioned. A more imaginative solution than a 

 moratorium on all taking is required, in part, 

 because some populations of greens are increasing 

 in abundance. 



Although all species are declining in the western 

 Caribbean, this was not the case for all 

 populations. 



Antigua and Barbuda has made no shipments of 

 turtle products to Japan for the last 10 years, 

 and the Japanese statistics hence show paper 

 transactions by "paper" companies. Officials 

 began tracking this situation a few months ago. 

 Alleged shipments of hawksbill shells from Antigua 



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