19.222 to 19.227 Sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii spp.)

Decision directed to
19.222
Decision directed to:
Parties

Parties are encouraged to:

a) in accordance with Resolution Conf. 12.6 (Rev. CoP18) on Conservation and management of sharks, provide brief information (with an executive summary not exceeding 200 words, if the report exceeds four pages) to the Secretariat, in particular on any national management measures that prohibit commercial take or trade and respond to the Notification called for in Decision 19.224;

b) in accordance with their national legislation, provide a brief report (with an executive summary not exceeding 200 words, if the report exceeds four pages) to the Secretariat about the assessment of stockpiles of shark parts and derivatives for CITES-listed species stored and obtained before the entry into force of the inclusion in CITES in order to control and monitor their trade, if applicable;

c) respond to the Notification called for in Decision 19.224 and share available national conversion factors used when estimating live catch weight by species, fishery, and product form for more accurate reporting of shark and ray trade data by Parties and indicate whether and how these are used in the development of their non-detriment findings (NDFs);

d) in accordance with Resolution Conf. 9.7 (Rev. CoP15) on Transit and transhipment, inspect, to the extent possible under their national legislation, shipments of shark parts and derivatives in transit or being transhipped, to verify presence of CITES-listed species and verify the presence of a valid CITES permit or certificate as required under the Convention or to obtain satisfactory proof of its existence;

e) seek external funding for a dedicated marine species officer and consider seconding staff members with expertise in fisheries and the sustainable management of aquatic resources to the Secretariat;

f) in accordance with Resolution Conf. 11.3 (Rev. CoP19) on Compliance and enforcement, actively collaborate to combat illegal trafficking in sharks and ray products by developing mechanisms for coordination between source, transit, and destination countries; and

g) consider if they are likely to be key beneficiaries from the guidance document(s) reviewed under Decision 19.226, paragraphs a) and b); if so, these Parties are strongly encouraged to participate in any Standing Committee working groups established to address Decision 19.226.

19.223
Decision directed to:
Secretariat

Subject to external funding, the Secretariat shall

a) continue to provide capacity-building assistance for implementing Appendix-II shark and ray listings to Parties, especially developing countries and small island developing states, upon request;

b) liaise with relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organizations and Arrangements (RFMO/As) to identify opportunities for capacity building with the same organizations, possibly in the form of attending meetings (where the RFMO/A permits such attendance) or by directly liaising with the Secretariat of the organization to provide this information to its membership and/or the provision of training. The aim of this exercise would be to share information to improve the knowledge of CITES in the workings of each relevant RFMO/A;

c) conduct a further study to look into the apparent mismatch between the trade in products of CITES-listed sharks recorded in the CITES Trade Database and what would be expected against the information available on catches of listed species, building on the study entitled Missing sharks: A country review of catch, trade and management recommendations for CITES- listed shark species and share both studies with proposed solutions to resolve this issue to the Animals Committee and Standing Committee, in a timely manner;

d) collaborate closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to:

i) verify that information about Parties’ shark management measures is correctly reflected in the shark measures database developed by FAO (http://www.fao.org/ipoa-sharks/database-of-measures/en/) and if not, support FAO in correcting the information;

ii) compile clear imagery of wet and dried unprocessed shark fins (particularly, but not exclusively, those from CITES-listed species) along with related species level taxonomic information to facilitate refinement of iSharkFin software developed by FAO;

iii) conduct a study analysing the trade in non-fin shark products of CITES-listed species, including the level of species mixing in trade products and recommendations on how to address any implementation challenges arising from the mixing that may be identified; and

e) bring the results of activities in this present Decision to the attention of the Animals Committee or Standing Committee, as appropriate.

19.224
Decision directed to:
Secretariat

The Secretariat shall:

a) issue a Notification to the Parties, inviting Parties to:

i) in accordance with Resolution Conf 12.6 (Rev. CoP18) on Conservation and management of sharks, provide concise (with 200 word executive summary, if the report exceeds four pages) new information on their shark and ray conservation and management activities, in particular:

A. the making of NDFs;

B. the making of legal acquisition findings (LAFs);

C. the identification and monitoring of CITES-listed shark-products in trade, in source, transit, and consumer Parties;

D. recording stockpiles of commercial and/or pre-Convention shark parts and derivatives for CITES Appendix-II elasmobranch species and controlling the entry of these stocks into trade; and

E. capacity building needs to assist developing countries and small island developing states with reporting requirements; and

ii) share with the Secretariat their non-detriment findings (NDFs) and conversion factors used when estimating catch live weight through converting recorded shark landings and trade, where available, to post in the sharks and rays web portal;

iii) in accordance with Resolution Conf. 11.17 (Rev. CoP19) on National reports, highlight any questions, concerns or difficulties Parties are having in writing or submitting documentation on authorized trade data (e.g. which units are used in reporting trade) for the CITES Trade Database;

b) provide information from the CITES Trade Database on commercial trade in CITES-listed sharks and rays since 2010, sorted by species and, if possible, by product;

c) invite non-Party, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organization observers to support Parties by providing concise information related to the above;

d) disseminate new or existing guidance identified by the Standing Committee on the control and monitoring of stockpiles of shark parts and derivatives pursuant to Decision 19.226, paragraph b);

e) share information concerning* capacity building needs of developing countries including the possibility of training workshops; and

f) collate this information for the consideration of the Animals Committee and the Standing Committee.

* The Secretariat added “share information concerning” to provide grammatical clarity but notes that these three words were not agreed by the Conference of the Parties.

19.225
Decision directed to:
Animals Committee, in collaboration with relevant organizations and experts

The Animals Committee, in collaboration with relevant organizations and experts, shall:

a) continue to develop guidance and review outcomes from the proposed international expert workshop on NDFs to support the making of NDFs for CITES-listed shark species, in particular in data-poor, multi-species, small-scale/artisanal, and non-target (by-catch) situations, and for shared and migratory stocks, and introduction from the sea;

b) review the information submitted by the Secretariat under paragraph e) of Decision 19.223 and paragraph f) of Decision 19.224 and;

c) report the outcomes of its work under the present Decision to the Standing Committee for incorporation into the joint report to the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

19.226
Decision directed to:
Standing Committee

The Standing Committee shall:

a) review the revised Rapid Guide on the making of legal acquisition findings, and related assessments as they relate to trade in CITES-listed sharks species caught in areas beyond national jurisdiction (including introductions from the sea), and determine if more specific guidance is needed for CITES-listed-shark species, including engagement with RFMOs and any capacity building which might support their role in the making of LAFs and related assessments;

b) develop new guidance or identify existing guidance on the control and monitoring of stockpiles of shark parts and derivatives, in particular for specimens caught prior to the inclusion of the species in Appendix II;

c) review the FAO’s on-going guidance on Catch Document Schemes, Port State Measures and any other measures to reduce Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing;

d) in consultation with the Animals Committee, discuss challenges related to transport of biological samples for research and data collection purposes in the context of fisheries management including the context of the provisions on introduction from the sea in Resolution Conf 14.6 (Rev. CoP16) and make recommendations to CoP20; and

e) report its findings under the present Decision to the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

19.227
Decision directed to:
Standing Committee

The Standing Committee shall:

a) review the comments and recommendations provided by the Parties, the Animals Committee and the Secretariat under Decisions 19.222 to 19.225; and

b) prepare a report with any necessary recommendations for improving the implementation of the Convention for sharks and rays for consideration by the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties.