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AQUATIC SPECIES AT COP19

AQUATIC SPECIES AT COP19
At CoP19, WWF will be following discussions around sharks and rays, sea cucumbers and marine turtles among a host of other aquatic species in international trade.

[TREES]   [AQUATIC SPECIES]  [MAMMALS]   [ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE]   [PEOPLE]

Sharks and rays:

It could equally be framed as the CoP of the sharks and rays, because two entire shark families and one ray family are also proposed for inclusion in Appendix II, the hammerhead and requiem shark families and the guitarfish family (a family of rays).

In all these cases a number of species are already listed but listing of the entire families is required to facilitate implementation and enforcement of those listings.

WWF supports all the marine shark and ray proposals tabled at this CoP, but we emphasise that further listings will not be successful in achieving legal and sustainable fisheries and trade unless they are coupled with concrete measures to address implementation challenges at both national and regional level, including through enhanced engagement of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFMOs/RFBs).

Reactive statement on aquatic species.

Marine turtles:

No one imagines tropical oceans without images of marine turtles. Marine turtles are already strictly regulated by CITES (All on Appendix I), and international commercial trade is banned. However more needs to be done to make these provisions effective.

A document has been tabled at this CoP to encourage and facilitate range and consumer countries to increase cooperation, step up enforcement, improve their legislation concerning the harvest of and trade in marine turtles, and, above all, to share forensic samples so that we can track and trace the sources and end points of illegal trade.

Reactive statement on marine turtles.

[MORE ON MARINE TURTLES]

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