Japan's acceptance of shipments of shell from non-CITES 

 nations which prohibit sea turtle trade is also a clear violation 

 of CITES. For example, Japanese Customs Statistics reveal that 

 6,148 kg of shell, the equivalent of 4,099 hawksbills, have been 

 imported into Japan from Jamaica since 1980. Jamaica prohibits 

 the export of sea turtle products, and no legal export documents 

 have ever been issued (A. Haynes, pers. comm.). 



Nations that do not allow the export of sea turtle products 

 should notify Japan's CITES Management Authority, in the Ministry 

 of International Trade and Industry (MITI) , that sea turtle 

 exports are prohibited. These letters should ask for Japan's 

 assurance that it will not accept further exports of hawksbill 

 shell from their country.* 



There is concern that Japan's volume of trade in the Wider 

 Caribbean will increase as more nations in other parts of the 

 world join CITES and cut off traditional sources. Until all the 

 nations in the Wider Caribbean, including Antigua/Barbuda, 

 Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, St. 

 Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent, join CITES, many trading 

 loopholes will be available. 



In addition, the weight and quality of Caribbean hawksbill 

 shell make it particularly valuable to Japanese buyers. TRAFFIC 

 researchers found that the weight of shell per animal, including 

 the back, belly and marginal scutes, is higher in the Caribbean 

 than elsewhere in the world. Whether this is a subspecies 

 difference or is related to consumption patterns, i.e., some 

 nations have overfished their hawksbills and are now harvesting 

 smaller animals, is an interesting question. Average shell 

 weights are 1.34 kg in the Caribbean, 0.74 kg in the Indian 

 Ocean/Africa, and 0.88 kg in Oceania. 



Individual shell weights also vary within the Wider 

 Caribbean. For example, Cuban turtles produce 1.59 kg/individual 

 while turtles from St. Vincent yield 1.1 kg, and Bahamian turtles 

 produce 0.81 kg. Experienced Japanese dealers report that 

 Bahamian turtles have always been smaller. 



Another very interesting fact from the Japanese trade report 

 was the lack of interest shown by Japanese dealers in 

 substituting the shell of ranched green turtles for hawksbill 



* This correspondence should be sent to MITI, International 

 Economic Affairs Division, International Economic Affairs 

 Department, International Trade Policy Bureau, 3-1 Kasumi-ga-seki 

 1-chome, Chiyodaku, Tokyo 100 Japan and copied to Sr. Obdulio 

 Menghi, CITES Secretariat, 6 rue du Maupas, Case Postale 78, 1000 

 Lausanne 9 Switzerland. 



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