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CITES Appendix II Listing proposal for the Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni
On January 4, 2007, the United States submitted a proposal to the Convention on the Trade in International Species of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat to list the Banggai cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni on Appendix II of CITES.
The Banggai cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni is an endemic marine
fish that has been negatively affected by heavy collection pressure
for the aquarium trade and is highly vulnerable to extinction
if trade continues at current rates. Harvest and trade first
began in 1995, and has increased to an estimated 700,000-900,000
fish/yr. This species has an extremely limited geographic range
(Banggai Archipelago, Indonesia; 5,500 km2) and small total population
size (estimated at 2.4 million). It exhibits unique reproductive
characteristics that make it vulnerable to overexploitation including
1) low fecundity; 2) an advanced degree of parental care and
elevated energy allocation per offspring; 3) direct development;
4) long oral incubation period; 5) lack of a planktonic interval;
and 6) juvenile settlement within parental habitat.
This proposal will be considered at the next CITES Conference of the Parties (The Netherlands, June 3-15, 2007). Listing of this species on Appendix II would still allow international trade, but shipments must include an export permit from the country of origin issued based on a finding of non-detriment and legal acquisition. In addition, this listing could help promote expansion of captive breeding as an alternative to wild harvest.
CITES Appendix II Listing proposal for the genus Corallium (red/pink coral)
On January 4, 2007, the United States submitted a proposal to the Convention on the Trade in International Species of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat to list the entire genus of Corallium on Appendix II of CITES.
Corallium, the most valuable type of precious coral
in trade, is collected and traded in large quantities (millions
of items
and thousands of kg per year) as jewelry, art and as raw coral
skeletons. Corallium spp. exhibit life history characteristics
that make them vulnerable to overfishing, including a sessile
(attached) growth form, slow growth rates (<1 cm/year), a
relatively late reproductive maturity (7-10 years), reproductive
output that increases with size (age), long life spans (100+
years), and limited dispersal potential. Corallium fisheries
have been characterized by exploration, discovery, 4-5 years
of intensive harvest within individual beds, followed by overexploitation.
Worldwide commercial yields of Corallium peaked in 1984 at 450
metric tons (mt), declined to 40 mt by 1990, and have fluctuated
between 28-54 mt over the last 15 years. The Corallium fishery
also causes significant damage to coral habitats due to non-selective
removal using gear types (bottom trawls and dredges) that destroy
bottom features and remove all benthic organisms in their path.
The U.S. is one of the few countries with a management plan for
Corallium, although U.S. fisheries are currently inactive.
This proposal will be considered at the next CITES Conference of the Parties (The Netherlands, June 3-15, 2007). Listing of this species on Appendix II would still allow international trade, but shipments must include an export permit from the country of origin issued based on a finding of non-detriment and legal acquisition. In addition, this listing could help promote expansion of captive breeding as an alternative to wild harvest.
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