Resolution Conf. 14.6 (Rev. CoP15)*
Introduction from the sea
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the CITES Workshop on Introduction from the Sea Issues (Geneva, 30 November – 2 December 2005) held pursuant to Decision 13.18 of the Conference of the Parties and the meeting of the Standing Committee Working Group on Introduction from the Sea (Geneva, 14‑16 September 2009) held pursuant to Decision 14.48 of the Conference of the Parties;
RECALLING that ‘introduction from the sea’ is defined in Article I, paragraph e), of the Convention as "transportation into a State of specimens of any species which were taken in the marine environment not under the jurisdiction of any State";
RECALLING ALSO that Article XIV, paragraph 6, of the Convention provides that “Nothing in the present Convention shall prejudice the codification and development of the law of the sea by the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea";
RECALLING FURTHER that Article III, paragraph 5, and Article IV, paragraphs 6 and 7, of the Convention, provide a framework to regulate the introduction from the sea of specimens of species included in Appendices I and II, respectively;
NOTING that ‘State of introduction’ is not defined in the Convention and that Article III, paragraph 5, Article IV, paragraph 6, and Article XIV, paragraph 5, place certain obligations on the State of introduction;
DESIRING that both flag States and port States cooperate in a manner that supports and complies with the provisions of the Convention related to introduction from the sea;
DESIRING ALSO that States consult and cooperate with relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organizations when issuing certificates of introduction from the sea;
NOTING the progress made through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on measures to promote responsible fisheries, in particular, the adoption of the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing;
RECOGNIZING the need for a common understanding of the provisions of the Convention relating to introduction from the sea in order to facilitate the standard implementation of trade controls for specimens introduced from the sea and improve the accuracy of CITES trade data;
THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION
AGREES that ‘the marine environment not under the jurisdiction of any State’ means those marine areas beyond the areas subject to the sovereignty or sovereign rights of a State consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; and
RECOMMENDS that Parties respond in a timely manner to a request for information necessary for issuing a certificate of introduction from the sea or verifying the authenticity and validity of such a certificate.
* Amended at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.