In addition to flaunting the restrictions that prohibit the 

 importation and exportation of sea turtle products, France and 

 its overseas departments violate CITES restrictions by 

 reexport ing sea turtle products from Taiwan and the Philippines 

 to meet the demands of the tourist trade (Pritchard 1984a) . 



France has a well -documented history of failing to comply 

 with international trade restrictions for endangered and 

 economically valuable species such as sea turtles. For example, 

 the CITES Secretariat's Review of Alleged Infractions (1987) 

 cites France for importation of hawksbill shell from CITES and 

 non-CITES nations around the world. Similarly, a preliminary 

 assessment of the implementation of CITES in the European 

 Economic Community (World Wildlife Fund 1986) provides numerous 

 examples of France's trade in hawksbill shell. 



International trade in hawksbill shell from the Caribbean is 

 a problem of very substantial proportions, and nations in the 

 Wider Caribbean are going to have to act aggressively to protect 

 their turtles. The solutions include adoption and strict 

 enforcement of regional fisheries legislation and accession to 

 CITES by all Wider Caribbean nations. Countries which prohibit 

 the export of hawksbill shell should notify Japan and France that 

 their activities are undermining regional conservation programs. 

 A moratorium on the taking of hawksbills should also be 

 considered. 



If and when sea turtle populations are to be exploited, 

 sustainability will have to be measured in terms of available 

 biological data, trade patterns and other sources of information. 

 There is no dovibt that international trade is draining the region 

 of a valuable resource. It is also jeopardizing the continued 

 existence of one of the region's special species. 



In summary, Japan is the major international market for 

 Caribbean hawksbill shell. A recent study of the Japanese sea 

 turtle trade reveals that the raw shell of more than 251,000 

 hawksbills from the Wider Caribbean was exported to Japan from 

 1970-1986. At present, approximately 10,000 Caribbean hawksbills 

 are harvested annually for the Japanese trade. Japan frequently 

 violates international restrictions on sea turtle trade by 

 accepting imports from Caribbean nations that prohibit trade in 

 sea turtles. 



Hawksbills are also heavily exploited in the French islands 

 of Martinique and Guadeloupe. This harvest has been extensive 

 and uncontrolled for years. Although France maintains that trade 

 with its overseas territories is domestic, fishermen and shell 

 buyers from Martinique and Guadeloupe obtain turtles in the 

 waters of neighboring islands. Hawksbill shell and shell 

 products are sold to tourists from France and other nations. 



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