Chapter IV — International 



include the full retention of Resolution Conf. 2.9 

 without modification or amendment. 



The Service also noted that, subsequent to the 

 action taken at the 10th CITES meeting, the IWC 

 passed a resolution expressing its appreciation for the 

 reaffirmation of the link between the two organiza- 

 tions. The Service requested that the IWC resolution 

 be circulated to the CITES Parties, particularly if the 

 draft consolidation goes forward for consideration at 

 the April 2000 meeting. The matter will be taken up 

 by the CITES Standing Committee when it meets in 

 February 1999, and a revised consolidated resolution 

 is expected to be considered at the next Conference of 

 Parties in April 2000. 



CITES Relationship to the IWC 



During consideration of the proposals by Norway 

 and Japan to downlist whale stocks at the June 1997 

 CITES meeting, lengthy debate focused on the rela- 

 tionship between CITES and the IWC. Many CITES 

 Parties stated their opposition to changing appendix 

 designations for whales before the IWC's Revised 

 Management Scheme has been completed. Other 

 Parties saw a need for independent action under 

 CITES using the Convention's own criteria when 

 listing species on the appendices. 



A similar discussion ensued following the submis- 

 sion by Japan of a draft resolution intended to rede- 

 fine the relationship between CITES and the IWC. 

 The resolution called for repealing a resolution 

 adopted in 1979 that recommends that Parties not 

 issue permits for harvest or trade for primarily 

 commercial purposes of any species or stock protected 

 from commercial whaling by the IWC. Japan argued 

 that the CITES decision to list certain whale stocks on 

 Appendix I had been taken in response to the IWC 

 moratorium, but that the moratorium itself had been 

 established without adequate scientific grounds. The 

 Japanese delegation therefore suggested that the 

 CITES Parties repeal the pertinent resolution and 

 instead rely on their own listing criteria. Following 



a lengthy debate, the draft resolution was defeated by 

 a vote of 51 to 27. The discussion, however, resulted 

 in a clarification from the CITES Secretariat stating 

 that, although consultation was essential under CITES 

 and other conventions such as that implementing the 

 IWC, this did not mean that it was obligatory for 

 there to be strict adherence in one convention to 

 decisions made within another. 



Illegal Trade in Whale Meat 



Since 1979 CITES Parties have cooperated with the 

 IWC to prevent trade in whale meat from any species 

 or stock protected from commercial whaling by the 

 IWC. As discussed in previous annual reports, in 

 1994 CITES Parties adopted a resolution recognizing 

 the need for the IWC and the CITES Secretariat to 

 cooperate and exchange information on international 

 trade in whale products. The resolution urged coun- 

 tries to report any incidents of illegal trade in whale 

 products to the CITES Secretariat. 



Despite the cooperation that has resulted from the 

 resolutions adopted by both CITES Parties and the 

 IWC, illegal trade in meat from Appendix I whale 

 species remains a significant problem. At the June 

 1997 CITES meeting, a consensus document was 

 adopted as a formal decision addressing cooperation 

 in monitoring illegal trade in whale meat. The 

 decision encourages CITES Parties to inventory frozen 

 whale products possessed in commercial quantities and 

 to collect samples for DNA identification from all 

 inventoried stocks, as well as from baleen whales 

 taken in indirect harvests and, where practicable, from 

 aboriginal and incidental takes. It further invites all 

 concerned countries to cooperate in determining 

 sources of whale meat in cases of smuggling, or 

 unknown identity, and to make relevant information 

 available to the CITES Secretariat for dissemination to 

 interested Parties. 



It is anticipated that the subject will be reviewed at 

 the next CITES meeting in April 2000. 



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