MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1995 



During the Ninth Conference of Parties, held 7-18 

 November 1994 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the 

 CITES parties adopted a resolution revising the 

 criteria used for listing species on the appendices. 

 The role of the United States, and the Marine Mam- 

 mal Commission, in developing the revised criteria is 

 discussed in detail in the previous annual report. 



Proposed Changes to the Appendices 



As noted in the previous annual report, in 1993 the 

 Environmental Investigation Agency proposed that the 

 narwhal (Monodon monoceros) be transferred from 

 Appendix II to Appendix I. In its submission to the 

 Fish and Wildlife Service, the petitioner argued that 

 abundance assessments for many narwhal populations 

 are inadequate and that international trade in narwhal 

 ivory is placing unsustainable pressure on the species. 



The Marine Mammal Commission commented on 

 the proposal, noting that, while there was insufficient 

 evidence to demonstrate that any stock of narwhal is 

 threatened with extinction, it shared a concern that 

 current harvest levels of some stocks may be unsus- 

 tainable and that better information is needed on status 

 and trends and on harvest levels. Based on these 

 comments and others, the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 concluded that evidence did not support adding the 

 narwhal to Appendix I, and the proposal was not put 

 forward at the Ninth Conference of Parties. 



be detrimental to the survival of the species concerned 

 and that the specimens were legally obtained. Issu- 

 ance of permits must be monitored and, if necessary, 

 limited "in order to maintain that species throughout 

 its range at a level consistent with its role in the 

 ecosystems in which it occurs and well above the level 

 at which that species might become eligible for 

 inclusion in Appendix I." 



It order to determine whether such limitation is 

 necessary, the CITES Animals Committee undertakes 

 reviews of species for which there are significant 

 amounts of international trade. As noted above, there 

 is concern that international trade in narwhal ivory 

 may be causing harvests to reach unsustainable levels. 

 In 1995 the CITES Animals Committee initiated a 

 study on the level of trade involving the narwhal. 

 Based on its review, the committee is expected to 

 issue a report and recommendations in 1996. 



CITES Permit Request 



The sea otter {Enhydra lutris) is listed on CITES 

 Appendix II, which means that international trade in 

 sea otters or parts is subject to regulation. On 1 April 

 1994 Kuiu Kwan Inc., of Lynnwood, Washington, 

 applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service for a CITES 

 permit to export sea otter pelts to several foreign 

 countries. This application, which was denied, is 

 discussed in the sea otter section in Chapter III. 



In preparation for the 1997 meeting in Zimbabwe, 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service plans to publish a notice 

 in the Federal Register in February or March 1996, 

 requesting information on species that should be 

 considered for addition to or deletion from the appen- 

 dices or transfer from one appendix to another. As of 

 the end of 1995 the Commission was not aware of any 

 plans to request listing actions involving marine 

 mammals. However, it was anticipated the reclassifi- 

 cation of narwhals may again be proposed. 



CITES Significant Trade Reviews 



As noted, species listed on Appendix II may be 

 traded, provided that the country of export has grant- 

 ed a permit for the shipment. Countries issuing 

 permits must make a finding that the export will not 



Illegal Trade in Whale Meat 



Since 1979 CITES parties have cooperated with the 

 International Whaling Commission to prevent trade in 

 whale meat from any species or stock protected from 

 commercial whaling by the IWC. As discussed in the 

 previous annual report, in 1994 CITES parties adopt- 

 ed a resolution recognizing the need for the IWC and 

 CITES to cooperate and exchange information on 

 international trade in whale products. The resolution 

 urged countries to report any incidents of illegal trade 

 in whale products to the CITES secretariat. 



As noted above, in response to the CITES resolu- 

 tion, the IWC at its 1995 meeting in Dublin, Ireland, 

 adopted a resolution aimed at improving mechanisms 

 to prevent illegal trade in whale meat. 



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