Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

Coral mariculture

1. The Animals Committee has initiated a review of the artificial propagation and rearing of corals for international trade (see Doc. AC.16.12.2, available on www.cites.org). Coral mariculture operations make use of a variety of techniques to produce marketable specimens from pieces of coral colonies removed from coral reefs and grown in situ and ex situ, or by providing an artificial substrate that can be colonized by larvae. Under certain conditions, such operations may benefit coral reefs by providing an alternative source of specimens for international trade.

2. It is not yet clear if any source code other than 'W' (for specimens taken from the wild) can be used for specimens produced by various operations, as details about the species concerned and the management practices are often lacking. It also appears that provisions concerning captive breeding contained in some Resolutions may require amendments to take better account of coral life histories and coral mariculture practice.

3. The Management Authorities are requested, in consultation with national fisheries agencies where appropriate, to inform the Secretariat of all coral mariculture operations occurring in their territories, along with contact details for such operations. The Coral Working Group of the Animals Committee will subsequently contact these operations to request further information regarding the species and management practices involved.

4. To facilitate the work of the Coral Working Group of the Animals Committee, the Parties are requested to submit their findings to the Secretariat before 30 April 2001.