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Urgent measures to be implemented within the next six months USA, 22 June 2001 (WWF-US via U.S. Newswire) Washington, DC - Three caviar-producing states agreed Thursday to halt sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea for the remainder of the year and have committed themselves to a series of urgent measures aimed at addressing alarm over plummeting sturgeon stocks. TRAFFIC - the wildlife trade monitoring program of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) - today welcomed the move but stressed that progress on these measures must be made within the next six months if these countries wish to avoid an international ban on caviar exports next year. "A ban on sturgeon fishing for the remainder of the year is an important first step, but only if the ban is fully enforced by the Caspian Sea states," said Craig Hoover, senior program officer for TRAFFIC North America. The agreement was announced at the end of a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Paris this week. Four Caspian Sea range states - Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - faced the prospect of a full suspension of their caviar exports if the committee was not satisfied with the conservation measures agreed to by the four nations. TRAFFIC expressed that reduction of export quotas alone would not ease the pressure on sturgeon stocks. These countries had already reduced their combined export quotas on Caspian species by 50 percent since 1998. A ban of caviar exports, TRAFFIC maintained, would not effectively address critical problems such as rapidly rising domestic trade, poaching and illegal trade. Instead, TRAFFIC this week called for these countries to undertake specific measures on sturgeon fisheries. These measures include: concerted efforts for the establishment of coordinated catch and export quotas; transborder, anti-poaching units; a comprehensive assessment and effective control of domestic markets, including strict implementation and enforcement of existing national legislation; full implementation of the Universal Labeling System for the identification of caviar; and independent assessments of sturgeon stocks by international teams of experts. "The comprehensive set of measures Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia announced Thursday go a long way toward addressing the recommendations made by TRAFFIC," Hoover continued. The three countries agreed to, within the next six months, conduct a comprehensive survey of sturgeon stocks, jointly set catch and export quotas, and assess the illegal trade and enforcement needs, with assistance of international agencies such the CITES Secretariat, Interpol and World Customs Organization. By June 2002, the countries are also committed to developing a regional fisheries management system, significantly enhance efforts to combat illegal harvesting, regulate domestic trade and implement a caviar labeling system. TRAFFIC applauds the countries concerned and the CITES Standing Committee for coming to an agreement that will give the nations of the Caspian Sea the opportunity to undertake these crucial initiatives, while ensuring that conservation action is taken immediately. "It is important that real progress is made on these commitments within the next six months, and that the international community continues to monitor progress on this critical conservation issue. If sufficient progress is not made during this time, suspension of the international trade should be reconsidered," Hoover said. CONTACT: Nancy Engelhardt of the World Wildlife Fund << Archives |